Dead Fish Wash Ashore in Cape May Point

CAPE MAY POINT (AP) — State environmental officials are on the scene of a fish kill in south Jersey.

Hundreds of fish washed up on a beach in Cape May Point Friday.

State Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Bob Considine told the Press of Atlantic City in an email his department is investigating the incident but  "at this time, we believe the dead fish washing up on shore is a result of a net break from a bunker vessel offshore."

Beachgoer Jimmy Stewart tells The Press of Atlantic City the fish are 10- to 12-inches long. He believes they are bunker fish.

There is no plan to clean up the fish according to Considine, who tells CBS Philly the tide will wash them back out to sea.

Thousands of dead moss bunker washed up on beaches in Belmar last month. Official ts believed depleted oxygen levels in the Shark River had killed the fish.

MORE COVERAGE:

• Hundreds Of Dead Fish Wash Ashore In Cape May Point / CBS Philly
• Fish washing up in Lower Township believed to be from fishing vessel / Press of Atlantic City

The Associated Press contributed to this report