The canal was on a silvery sheen, but it wasn't the first signs of winter or early frost. It was a thousand of dead fish.
Locals in Hampton Bays and Southhampton woke up to a gruesome sight on Monday morning. Ten of thousands of dead fish, all clustered and floating in the Shinnecock Canal.
Authorities are investigating the causes of the massive die-off. According to the reports, the fish known as menhaden or bunker fish were so tightly packed that people could barely see water in areas.
Possible Causes of the Massive-Die Off
According to Christopher Gobler from the marine science program at Stony Brook University, the massive die-off could be due to several factors. Predators probably pushed the massive school of creature up into the canal.
"Unbelievable scene - tons and tons of bunker starving for oxygen. Even the locals have not seen anything like this before, "said Long Island resident Dennis Demarco.
Menhaden or bunker fish are commonly eaten by larger Atlantic fish such as bluefish. Investigators said that in this situation, the bunker fish were likely headed into a little canal by larger predators which resulted to suffocation due to lack of oxygen.
Sean O'Neill from the nonprofit Peconic Baykeeper said that the supermoon which just recently occurred have probably created a massive tide leading to a flood of fish up the canal on Sunday night.
On the other hand, Bill Fonda from the Regional Department of Environmental Conservation also gave his statement with regards to the incident. According to him, the massive die-off is caused by the usual reasons and not chemicals or pollutants.
Fonda said the fish kills happen when tons of fish get trapped in a confined area, and the oxygen levels go down which lead to suffocation. Scientists are also investigating the bunker fish incident which has been nicknamed as 'fishpocalypse.'
"It's nature being nature. These events have happened over the centuries and will continue to happen. It's just part of how nature works, and the ecosystem maintains equilibrium, "said New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson Lawrence Hanja.
