An environmental blunder from decades ago is a step closer to being corrected. Friday, the Department of Natural Resources released thousands of small redbreast sunfish into two local rivers.

On a pristine fall day in Marion County, more than 30,000 tiny redbreast sunfish, about one inch to two inches long, found a new home in the Little Pee Dee River near Galivants Ferry.

More were released in other locations, for a total of around 150,000 fish.

The fingerlings, raised at the Orangeburg National Fish Hatchery, will have plenty of new places to explore, says Byron Hamilton, with the hatchery. "As long as the river level is up, they can go for miles and miles along this river here."

Popular with fishermen, the redbreast has been greatly diminished over the years, ever since the flathead catfish was introduced into the area some 40 years ago.

State Representative Liston Barfield says the flathead was released into the rivers by wildlife biologists, apparently at the request of fishermen who wanted to catch the fish.

But Barfield calls the flathead an eating machine that has nearly wiped out 3 smaller species. He says biologists have learned a painful lesson. "I know today if they had a choice of going back and undoing what they did, I don't believe they'd do that, but unfortunately, the biologists made a bad decision."

It took years to destroy the redbreast population. It'll take years to recover. Barfield, who helped arrange the fish release, says this effort is just the start. "If we can put some in every year, we feel like we can get the populations back."

Barfield says it is not enough to increase the redbreast, they have to decrease the flathead. He says that may require new laws to allow shocking the fish with electricity. That practice is illegal here, but Barfield says it's been used with some success in North Carolina.

The SC DNR says the redbreast sunfish was the most popular species for fishermen in the state from the late 80's to early 90's.