Donald Trump has called the Delta smelt, a small fish in California, a “worthless fish.” He blames its protection for the massive wildfires in Los Angeles, sharing his thoughts on social media, at press conferences, and even in a White House order.
Experts say that the Delta smelt has little to do with the city’s water supply. John Buse, a lawyer for the Center for Biological Diversity, believes Trump is using the fish as a scapegoat to blame for problems like fires and drought. He calls this approach “classic authoritarian” since it simplifies complex issues into easy targets.
Trump’s accusations began when he criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom for not allowing extra rainwater to flow to Southern California for firefighting purposes. He even signed an executive order called “Putting People Over Fish: Stopping Radical Environmentalism to Provide Water to Southern California.”
The truth is, California’s water crisis involves many factors, including climate change. The Delta smelt is a “sentinel species,” which means its health reflects the ecosystem’s overall state. Once abundant, it has become endangered due to issues like habitat destruction and pollution.
Water management in California must balance protecting wildlife with fulfilling human needs. Trump’s comments have turned conservation into a national debate, making the Delta smelt an easy target. Federal and state systems move water from northern California to the south, sometimes harming the fish.
Despite Trump’s claims, the protections for the Delta smelt mainly have little effect on Los Angeles’s water supply. Key water projects serve agriculture in the central part of the state, not directly Los Angeles. Right now, most of the state’s reservoirs have enough water, and the smelt protections make up only a small part of water management decisions.
Experts point out that rather than focusing on real causes like climate change, Trump’s comments simplify complicated issues into easy blame-shifting narratives. This leads to division instead of accountability.
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