Dead fish, pooping birds a bad combination for NJ shore town

🐟 Hundreds of fish were found dead in a Little Egg Harbor lagoon

🐟 Birds looking for a meal were attracted to the lagoon

🐟 The fish will naturally clear out with the tide, according to the DEP

LITTLE EGG HARBOR — Dead fish are creating problems on the water and in the air in a Jersey Shore town.

Residents told 6ABC Action News that they've been dealing with what looks like hundreds of fish floating in a lagoon in the Osburn Island section of Little Egg Harbor. They have created a strong odor that makes it difficult for residents to spend time outside.

The dead floating fish have also attracted seagulls in search of a meal, according to CBS Philadelphia. As the old adage goes, what goes in has to come out.

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Destructive birds

"The birds are destroying the tops of the houses. They're going all over the cars, all over your boats," resident Bob O'Brien told CBS Philadelphia.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection says poor water quality and low oxygen levels are to blame for the dead fish which residents say have started to clear out.

"Fish & Wildlife staff determined that this was an isolated event, and most of the dead fish will naturally be removed from the lagoon by the tides, or by tide flow," spokeswoman Caryn Shinske told New Jersey 101.5 in a statement.

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