Stranding of fish probed
State asks why thousands were left after repairs to Delta island; private rescue effort is pursued.
By Matt Weiser -
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Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, November 24, 2007
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B3
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State wildlife officials said Friday they are conducting a criminal investigation into the stranding of thousands of fish on Prospect Island in the Delta.
State Fish and Game Department spokesman Steve Martarano said his agency began the investigation Wednesday when it learned the fish became trapped after two levee breaks were repaired on the island.
Water remaining on the island was pumped out over the past two weeks, but no effort was made to relocate the fish that previously swam through the breaks and were left behind when the pumping began.
"We know we have a lot of dead fish," Martarano said. "Any time you have a large number of dead fish like this, you have to investigate the reasons why."
He would not say who is the target of the investigation, or what charges might be involved. He also didn't know how many fish have died or what kinds.
But one provision of the state Fish and Game Code forbids the "wanton waste" of a sport fish. Most of the fish seen trapped on the island are striped bass, a popular sport fish.
Prospect Island, owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, is north of Rio Vista in a remote area along the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel.
A contractor working for the bureau last month began repairing two levee breaks on the island from storm damage in 2006.
About two weeks ago, after the breaks were patched, it began pumping water off the island.
Federal wildlife officials told the bureau it was unlikely that any protected fish species were present on the island. So no plan to relocate the fish was required, nor was any detailed survey of the fish conducted.
But after the pumping began, citizens became concerned.
Bob McDaris, owner of Cliff's Marina near Freeport, has led a citizen effort to save the fish, which are now trapped in pools less than 10 inches deep. Most are striped bass, but he has also seen sturgeon, salmon, catfish, bluegill, carp and perch.
"There are thousands of fish out there. You cannot walk and not trip over them," he said.
Jeff McCracken, spokesman for the Bureau of Reclamation, said Friday his agency has held talks with Fish and Game about finding a way to rescue the surviving fish. When and how this might occur is still unclear.
"We're going to talk to them about what's out there and what can be done – if there's a way to salvage the fish that remain," said McCracken. "But most of the fish are in areas where the water is so poor that they've become distressed by now, and there's probably not much you can salvage."
Meanwhile, McDaris continues to organize his own rescue effort.
On Friday, he said he will put up $1,000 to hire a helicopter to fly the fish off the island, and he welcomed other donations. A helicopter is needed, he said, because the stranded pools of water are too far from the river's edge to carry fish by hand.
He has received hundreds of calls from other fishermen eager to help. But he is waiting to rescue the fish until he gets permission to gain access to Prospect Island, because he doesn't want to be cited for trespassing, even though the island is federal land.
McDaris said anyone who wants to help can call him at Cliff's Marina, (916) 665-1611, or by cell phone, (916) 769-8047. Money left over from a rescue attempt, he said, will be donated to a fishing charity.
"I think we can save a thousand fish," McDaris said. "I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm trying."
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