Delta smelt experimental release

Scientists at the University of California, Davis, Fish Conservation and Culture Laboratory work to prepare Delta smelt for experimental release in December 2021. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife, along with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, experimentally released captively produced Delta smelt into the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta on Dec. 14-15, 2021. This project will help inform future supplementation of the species in the wild. Though it was once plentiful in the Delta ecosystem, this threatened fish species is now a rare sight. Recent studies led by DWR have bolstered confidence that Delta smelt born and raised in hatcheries can acclimate to wild conditions and support recovery of the species. Photo by Tien-Chieh Hung/UC Davis Fish Conservation and Culture Laboratory