Longfin Smelt Conservation Hatchery Genetic Management – initiating a conservation hatchery

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The San Francisco Bay-Delta distinct population segment of Longfin Smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys) was federally listed as endangered in June 2024, and the species has been state-listed since 2009. To protect and recover this forage fish, the UC Davis Longfin Smelt Conservation Culture Program (LFSCCP) was founded to complete the lifecycle of longfin smelt in captivity and found a conservation hatchery. The LFSCCP is a collaboration between California Department of Water Resources, and several UC Davis labs: the UC Davis Fish Conservation and Culture Laboratory,  Otolith Geochemistry and Fish Ecology Lab, Fish Conservation Physiology Lab and the Genomic Variation Lab.

The GVL is providing a reference-quality genome assembly and genetic markers to conduct parentage so that genetically informed crosses can be made. Currently, the LFSCCP is refining methods for completing the lifecycle in captivity, and genetic management will be an integral component of conservation fish culture.