Action timeline

March 5, 1993 – The Delta smelt was listed as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act.

December 9, 1993 – The Delta smelt was listed as a threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act.

March 8, 2006 – Based on recent population viability and extinction risk analyses showing that the Delta smelt was in imminent danger of extinction, the Center petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to change its federal listing status from threatened to endangered on an emergency basis.

February 7, 2007 – The Center petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission to change the state listing status from threatened to endangered on an emergency basis.

April 12, 2007 – The California Fish and Game Commission denied a Center request for emergency action to change the smelt's state listing status from threatened to endangered. However, the Commission agreed that endangered status may be warranted and initiated a species status review. Surveys from the year revealed a juvenile smelt population crash of 92 percent from the previous low, recorded in 2006.

May 24, 2007 – The Center filed a notice of intent to sue the Service for failing to respond to our federal petition to uplist the Delta smelt from threatened to endangered.

July 10, 2008 – Twenty-five months late, the Service made a positive initial finding on the Center’s petition to uplist the Delta smelt from threatened to endangered status.