The Delta Smelt (Crystallaria asprella) is only found in the Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta in California and requires estuaries for juvenile and adult habitat along with the ability to migrate into tributary rivers to spawn in the spring. Declines of Delta Smelt can largely be attributed to the changes and fluctuations in flow of the estuarine ecosystem. Reduced flows resulting from water projects have resulted in saltwater intrusion into the Delta, which has reduced the amount of preferred habitat for spawning and nursery areas. When increased amounts of water are released by the water projects, larvae and adults become entrained and die, and both the fish themselves and the food they depend on are washed out of the system. [...]
