Foul smell from thousands of dead fish leaves New Jersey community holding its breath

LITTLE EGG HARBOR, NJ – For the second time this month, residents of the New Jersey community of Little Egg Harbor are contending with the stench of rotting fish in the water.

“Horrible,” resident Rayna Pelcak told FOX 29 reporter Cheyenne Corine. “The only thing I could compare it to, and that’s a little gross, is a public restroom.”

The sight of the dead fish, which are bait fish, so-called “peanut bunkers,” is also unbearable for the neighbors.

Drone footage shows a layer of dead peanut bunker floating on the water, accumulating at the edges of boats and docks and filling the back of the community’s lagoon.

Because of the sight and smell, residents were unable to pursue their usual summer activities.

“We wait all summer to enjoy a waterfront home and are literally locked in the house for at least two weeks,” said Joseph DeGrande, a Little Egg Harbor resident.

WATCH: WHALE CRASHES ON BOAT OFF NEW HAMPSHIRE COAST

The only ones who seem to enjoy the smelly phenomenon, according to Pelcak, are the seagulls, which have covered large parts of the community with bird droppings and feathers.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection told FOX 29 the cause could not be immediately determined, but neighbors reported being told the problem was further upstream.

“Our lagoon is a direct access to the bay. There are thousands and thousands of these peanut bunkers,” DeGrande said. “They shoot in, and from what we know, the lagoon narrows at the end and is funnel-shaped. And when they turn around to get out, they clog up.”

How to watch FOX WEATHER

As a result, says DeGrande, the fish lose oxygen and die.

Residents of Little Egg Harbor said this phenomenon occurs two to three times a year and they hope a permanent solution to the problem will be found soon.