Although it is surrounded by farms and development, the West Fork of the White River retains its scenic, natural beauty in Hamiliton County.

The 4-inch fish swam back and fourth along the rocks at the edge of the riverbank, regularly coming to the surface to feed during an unseasonably warm April evening.

The blue-green streak running from the eye to the gill identified the youngster as a smallmouth bass that was produced in the wild last summer.

On almost any river this would not be a remarkable scene. But the West Fork of the White River isn't just any river.

A pollutant that entered the stream in December 1999 resulted in a loss of an estimated 5 million fish from Anderson to Indianapolis. Since that time, DNR biologists and citizen volunteers have worked tirelessly to restock the river and begin restoration of the fishery.

Hardly a day goes by that someone doesn't ask, "How are the fish doing?"

The diminutive, solitary bass was one of the first to answer the question this spring.

It probably will be years before we have definitive answers to that question. Until then people will work, study, hope and look for signs that --- with their support and Mother Nature's --- the White River will provide a home again for 5-pound bass, 3-foot catfish and the herons and kingfishers that depend on a smorgasbord of fish for food.

In 2000, DNR biologists stocked the river with 540,598 smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, rock bass, bluegills, crappies, channel catfish and flathead catfish.

Their stocking plan was based on an extensive survey and evaluation of the river, its unique habitats and relative absence of fish. But why attempt to restock the river at all, one newspaper questioned late last year.

DNR biologists know that nature abhors a vacuum. Fish will move into the area gradually. The first on the scene, then, will have a competitive advantage for territory and food sources over late comers. And the bass, bluegill, crappie and catfish most people enjoy catching are seldom first on the scene. And they don't reproduce as prolifically as some other fish.

If biologists didn't move quickly to reintroduce sport fish, the diversity of fish populations most likely would be compromised forever.