By Howard Koplowitz
The city Department of Environmental Protection is investigating the deaths of hundreds of fish that washed up on Shell Bank Basin near Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach over the weekend, a spokeswoman said Thursday.
“This is not uncommon at this time of year, when the water is warm,” said DEP spokeswoman Mercedes Padilla. “It’s a natural process.”
She said bluefish near the basin chase bunkerfish to areas in the water that contain less oxygen.
Hundreds of the fish washed up on the shore of the basin near Cross Bay Boulevard.
About 10 cubic yards of fish were removed from the area over the weekend, Padilla said, noting that the agency is still determining exactly how the fish died.
“We’re continuing to investigate and we’re cleaning” the area, she said.
While Padilla could not say when the last time so many fish washed up in Howard Beach was, she said a similar occurrence happened last year in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.
