Annie Roth

Annie Roth is a freelance science journalist based in Santa Cruz, California who enjoys writing about it animals and the people who study them. She writes best when there is a cat in her lap.

The delta smelt, once the most abundant fish in California’s San Francisco estuary, is now critically endangered. An experimental hatchery project aims to save the species. (Photo by Cavan Images/Alamy Stock Photo)

Something Fishy Is Happening Inside the Ears of Delta Smelt

February 16, 2023 • by Annie Roth

Abnormalities in the ear bones of hatchery-reared delta smelt could challenge efforts to save the
endangered fish.

The Sea Otter That Stole a Surfboard in Santa Cruz Remains Free … For Now

November 3, 2022 • by Annie Roth

She was born in captivity, it turns out. And she’ll only get to stay free and wild if she behaves—so humans should definitely not feed her, take selfies with her, or try to be her friend.