Dead Fish Washing On Shore Puzzles County Residents

BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- If you live on the water in eastern Baltimore County you may be seeing something that's rather unpleasant. Thousands of dead fish are washing up on shore.

Where the Gunpowder and Bird Rivers meet, fish are dying, by the thousands.

"Something is killing them, they're washing them up, they're coming up here just like starving for oxygen and turning over and just rolling over and dying," said Chuck Adams from Chase, Maryland.

Adams first noticed the fish kill on Christmas Day.

"Big huge carp and bass. All kinds of fish, catfish are all dying," he said.

The Maryland Department of the Environment is investigating. They told WJZ

"To this point our investigation show no signs of pollution as a potential cause. The preliminary results of the investigation show toxins produced by algae as the likely cause. At this time we estimate six thousand fish have died.The investigation is ongoing."

"I just don't know. When you look at them here, they're all very lethargic, barely moving. They're like slowly breathing and turning over and dying," said Adams.

Deaths that so far remain a mystery.

"It'll just be nice to figure out what's going on. We're all very concerned. All of us and neighbors-- everybody been out here looking to see what's going on. We just don't know," he said.

Residents are advised to avoid the dead fish or, if they need to be handled or disposed of, to wash your hands afterward.

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