The delta smelt may become extinct very soon a UC Davis fish biologist says the latest state survey found very few fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta where they normally gather.
The biologist says the smelt have been on the decline for the last 30 years, but the drought may have pushed the species to the point of no return. If the smelt is officially declared extinct, it could change how water is managed efforts to protect smelt has resulted in some pumping restrictions in the central valley.