Thousands Of Dead Bunker Washed Into Long Island Waters Following Massive Kill

Chopper footage from the Shinnecock Canal off Hampton Bays showed thousands of dead bunker fish floating near the edge of the water and in marinas, with workers seen scooping fish carcasses out of the water.

State officials told NBC New York that they think predators were chasing the school of fish into the canal. Due to the massive population, many of them died from lack of oxygen. Officials took samples to confirm the theory.

This is not the first time that a massive killing happened. Earlier this year, hundreds and thousands of fish also floated in the water in a similar fashion in New Jersey's Raritan Bay. Officials said that the fish were likely chased into the bay by bluefish or skates and died as the levels of dissolved oxygen in the water arrived at low levels.

Despite the massive deaths, officials said that the public should not worry about the water as it poses no threat for humans at this point. Still, the numbers are massive. A fisherman scooping fish into a boat after seeing them pop up said that he estimated about 2,500 in his boat within 15 minutes.

The fish kill drew large crowds and traffic to Hampton Bays as spectators lined the bridge to see the piles of dead fish. Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman told Patch.com that, "We fear it's going to get worse tonight, because there are a lot of live bunker still in the Shinnecock Bay. They're going to run out of oxygen. There's just not enough of a water column, when you have that many fish in a small, concentrated area."

The unseasonably warm weather also played a part in the lower oxygen levels. Stonybrook University Professor Christopher Gobler noted that fishing restrictions in southern states also allowed the fish populations to grow in the past two years, and kills have become more common on local levels.

The decomposing fish are also expected to rise to the surface of the water -- and Tuesday's predicted stormy weather could pose more problems as tide gates close to push more fish into the Shinnecock Bay -- and the fish smell might remain for a while in the area.