Anglers rescue fish stranded on island

Volunteer anglers saved more than 6,000 fish that were among tens of thousands left stranded following repair work to a levee on an island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, officials said Monday.

Volunteers used nets, buckets and a long pipe to funnel the fish over the levee and back into delta waters.

By Sunday, they had saved 1,831 striped bass as well as thousands of bluegill, catfish, shiners and other fish left nearly high and dry on Prospect Island, about 20 miles south of Sacramento.

The levee that rings the abandoned island broke in January 2006, flooding the land. Over time, fish found their way through the breach.

Federal authorities hired a private construction firm to repair the levee and pump water off the island. Fish were stranded and began to die as the water receded.

-- Eric Bailey