Trump holds a fish responsible for the Los Angeles fires.. What is the story?

US President Donald Trump blamed the worsening fires in Los Angeles on efforts to protect an endangered species of fish in California.
US President Trump’s comments on his “Truth Social” platform, which he established in a decree he signed upon his return to the White House on Monday, sparked criticism from the scientific community.

Los Angeles fires

Experts say the Delta smelt has limited connection to Los Angeles’ water supplies, although it was recently mentioned in a species protection ordinance signed by Trump that aims to divert Delta waters upstate.
In this decree, which requires environmental agencies to prioritize “citizens over fish and stop extreme environmental concerns in California,” Trump reiterated the connection between protecting the Delta Smelt fish and the water supplies of areas recently affected by the fires.
Some scientists assert that Trump’s statements reflect ignorance of California’s environmental efforts, and reinforce doubt regarding climate issues.

Scapegoat

Biodiversity legal consultant John Beuss believes that all this is needed is to find “a scapegoat to hold responsible for all our problems, in this case fires and drought, and to focus the anger of the general public” on a small fish.
Scientists confirm that California is suffering from a complex water crisis, exacerbated by climate change and drought, and that the Delta smelt is not concerned with the problem.
Davis Peter Moyle, a species specialist at the University of California, points out that the numbers of these fish were previously abundant in the northern estuary, but the deterioration of their habitats as a result of agricultural and urban needs, as well as exposure to pollution, made them an endangered species in 1993.

Delta smelt fish

He stated that the massive pumping of water from north to south is causing damage to the Smelt Delta and other aquatic species in the delta, requiring redirection of water currents in order to preserve them.
But these measures have almost no effect on the water supply to Los Angeles, and therefore on fire management in the region, according to specialists.
This is evidenced by rising water levels in major reservoirs across the state, especially in the south, throughout January. Even during drought years, environmental measures protecting the Smelt Delta are responsible for only a small portion of California’s reduced water flow.

Precipitation and melting snow

The main factor determining the volume of water pumped from north to south is the rate of precipitation and snowmelt that enters the mouth of the San Francisco River.
According to Caleb Scoville, a sociologist at Tufts University in Massachusetts, because of its small size and relatively unknown status to the general public, the Delta Smelt has become an easy target for some conservative figures.
This has turned a local debate over water management in California into a national conflict that pits the protection of ecosystems against the safety of citizens.
Instead of addressing the underlying causes of the water crisis in California, including climate warming, Trump prefers to see it as political bias, according to Scoville.