Reminds me of the Delhi Sands Fly that is here in southern California that is on the endangered species list. It is a damn fly, bye, bye fly. You wouldn't believe the red tape that developers have to go through to try to build or expand businesses in the area and all for one little fly.
As the article says, the push to protect the fish has less to do with the fish than with protecting its habitat. The goal is to protect the delta from degrading...the marshes that the smelt uses for habitat also filter sewage dumped from upstream cities before it reaches the taps in southern California. If the delta degrades, LA loses half its drinking water.
I fish the delta regularly, and it is degrading fast in some areas. Areas that were once marshland are now open water. Seasonal flood areas have now been leveed and developed. The delta, if not protected adequately, will become a stagnant salty mess and will no longer be capable of providing drinking water to most Californians. So far, it hasn't been protected adequately.
Is that the same stoo-pid insect that caused the halt to a $200 million dollar (or was it $300) construction project a few years back and which have created a few hundred NEW permanent jobs?