HAMPTON BAYS, N.Y.—Tens of thousands of dead fish have been found floating in a canal on New York’s Long Island and authorities are investigating what caused the massive die off.
Scores of bunker fish were seen floating near the water’s edge on the Shinnecock Canal in Hampton Bays on Monday morning.
Regional Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman Bill Fonda tells Newsday the die-off was most likely caused by usual reasons and not chemicals or pollutants. Fonda says fish kills happen when a large number of fish get trapped in a confined area and the oxygen levels go down, leading to suffocation.
A spokeswoman for the New York state Environmental Conservation Department tells CBS News that the town of Southampton is cleaning up the fish and no additional kills have been reported.
