The federal government has reinstated funding for a UC Davis program that breeds endangered delta smelt, despite President Donald Trump’s ongoing criticism of the fish, the SF Chronicle reported.

The UC Davis Fish Conservation and Culture Laboratory lost its five-year federal grant last month, leading to layoffs of 11 of its 17 employees. This week, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and UC Davis confirmed funding — accounting for about three-quarters of the lab’s budget — would resume. It remains unclear why the funding lapsed or why it was reinstated amid recent federal budget cuts.

Once abundant in the San Francisco Bay Delta, the smelt are now rarely found in the wild. Their protection has long been a target for conservatives, including Trump, who in his first presidential campaign promised farmers the fish would not interfere with water deliveries. This year, he falsely claimed smelt protections were restricting water access for Los Angeles firefighters battling January blazes.

Since 1996, the UC Davis lab has bred smelt to support reintroduction efforts, a program seen as critical for both the species and water-pumping operations that must comply with environmental regulations.

“Reclamation recently awarded a five-year financial assistance agreement to UC Davis to continue support of delta smelt supplementation using the hatchery, work that helps Reclamation meet regulatory requirements to maximize water supplies from the delta,” the Bureau of Reclamation said in a statement.

Read more at the SF Chronicle.