Fish Rescue

My worries of yesterday were allayed first thing this morning when I walked down to the lake, where a dramatic fish rescue was underway. The giant pump was in operation, and the water level in the little pond that remained was falling quickly.




At one point hundreds of tiny fish began leaping from the water:

Robbie the fish rescuer said it was because the water had become so shallow their tops were in the air as they rested on the ground.

The mud on the lake bottom was bottomless, but Robbie and his assistant were able to save thousands of fish. Here a little guy flops in a tiny pool:

Here's the little guy's rescue:

Using a net, Robbie was able to catch hundreds upon hundreds of fish...

... of all sizes:

They were placed in Snapfinger Creek...

 which, running high after the last night's rains, will quickly disperse them.

As the water lowered, it became clear just how many fish there were:

Basket after basket was filled with fish and quickly put back in the water.

A few good-sized fish and quite a few tiny ones were marooned far out in the mud and couldn't be rescued, but the vast majority were captured and placed in the water. The operation was a great success, and it came at an opportune time.