Large fish kill in the Shark River

[rumster]

Took a 1/2 dozen bunker from the river to feed a bushel of green crabs which had not fed in about a week. Looked today and the bunker where completely in tact and not touched. Anyone who has kept crabs knows how those little guy will readily eat each other let alone fresh bait. Talk to the DEP and listen if you want, but for me when crabs know better than to ingest something, that`s enough for me to know that it was not just a lack of oxygen in the Spring when the water is cool.

[stugots]

my family has a 20,000 gallon pond in the backyard and in a 20 year span, there has been 2 occasions where about 500 goldfish have died for no apparent reason. the pond is now back at around 600 fish... nature is strange

[dfish28]

Same with the seagulls... All those bunker , I expected a s?!#t show of major proportion, but didn't see one gull by my dock at least eating one of the floaters, turkey vultures on the beach in shark river hills... They were chowing down! I even saw spider and green crabs at the bottom just walking over the dead ones without even a nibble... I did notice the same color water up by 122 on the parkway- whatever body that flows into- looking like a flushed toilet, just like it was Saturday in SR before the kill...

[Dino]

I think we have a pretty coherent story about what happened just by reading the bits and pieces of information in this thread.

1. A tidal river whose depth, and volume capacity for ocean water has been declining over the years saw a very large group of menhaden chased or inadvertently steered into its backwaters by..
2. Bluefish and other predators that fisherman have observed in the area just outside the inlet recently..
3. the oxygen inside the river quickly became depleted leading most of the bunker to die or gulp for air at the surface, which also affected the..
4. other species that happened to be in the river (blowfish, fluke, flounder)
5. as is commonly reported with oxygen related fish kills, scavengers seemed to avoid the carcasses of suffocated fish.

while this fish kill does not look like commercial fishing waste, a toxic spill or an algae bloom.. its clear that a healthier Shark River wouldn't have become oxygen depleted so quickly.

it all fits into a major theme for NY/NJ for the past 20 years : a largely healthy ocean, but unhealthy bays and rivers.

[Topeka Boy]

Originally Posted by Dino

I think we have a pretty coherent story about what happened just by reading the bits and pieces of information in this thread.

1. A tidal river whose depth, and volume capacity for ocean water has been declining over the years saw a very large group of menhaden chased or inadvertently steered into its backwaters by..
2. Bluefish and other predators that fisherman have observed in the area just outside the inlet recently..
3. the oxygen inside the river quickly became depleted leading most of the bunker to die or gulp for air at the surface, which also affected the..
4. other species that happened to be in the river (blowfish, fluke, flounder)
5. as is commonly reported with oxygen related fish kills, scavengers seemed to avoid the carcasses of suffocated fish.

while this fish kill does not look like commercial fishing waste, a toxic spill or an algae bloom.. its clear that a healthier Shark River wouldn't have become oxygen depleted so quickly.

it all fits into a major theme for NY/NJ for the past 20 years : a largely healthy ocean, but unhealthy bays and rivers.

I agree 100% with everything Dino says. Great Analysis..

[Capt. JJ]

It was Gov. Christie getting even with them all for not voting for him during the last election. Teach those little F *&%$#ERS!!!!!

[mahigold]

"Time for a bunker problem in shark river"

[Offshoreafflicted]

Damn Osprey have been dropping the dead bunker in my yard. I guess they think they are alive until they stop in a tree to chow down then decide to drop it off and go find something a little fresher. My dog wouldn't even eat them but the dummy did roll around in it and come inside covered in fish slime and scales. Now even after a bath he smells like a chum bucket.

It's getting ripe down at the river front. I don't know if the tide is going to flush out all the dead fish.

[dfish28]

Ya it is getting stinky, had a pile under each space between the floats on my dock- found a 2x6 and worked em out- phew weee!!!