Port Jeff: Bunker on the beach

Thank You for sharing.

Sometimes where I am, the blues would chase them in the basin.
This is before they had aerators put in. The bunker would die from
lack of oxygen and the place would stink. This would happen during
the summer.

While DEEP continues to investigate these events, staff believe the cause of the fish kills observed over the past month have been due to more Menhaden overwintering in the Sound this year, possibly due to a missed migration cue, leading them to succumb to the cold water temperatures and a lack of nourishment. <---- yup! 🙂

The beaches from the Northville oil platform, to Mattituck Inlet have been littered with so many dead bunker that the gulls are ignoring them.
John

The beaches from the Northville oil platform, to Mattituck Inlet have been littered with so many dead bunker that the gulls are ignoring them.
John

That is so true. This past summer, small "pogy" (bunker) boats have been working the local waters and when the dead ones are too many the gulls, eagles and osprey ignore them too!!

There were more when I went back on Monday. Yes, the gulls were for the most part ignoring them. One did peck at one, then waded into the water to wash his beak.

To bad there isn't a way to collect them for farmers. They are great for fertilizer. I have seen pics where organic farmers place one in a hole, cover it a bit and then plant on top on the buried bunker. American Indians used to do this too.

My grandfather used to place a bunker head right under his tomato plant. He always had great tomatoes.

Thanks for bringing back that memory boatguy

Walking the pup at Port Jeff. I noticed at least 2 dozen dead bunker washed up on the beach.

For some the cause of death was obvious from the missing chunks. Obviously blues are still in the area. Some still looked fresh with no marks.

Happy Thanksgiving....See you guys for fluke in May! Hope it is better than 2020.

boatGuy staten island beaches too alot dead,,,,,,i would like some for the mojoe back yard mini farm to dig into my soi;,,,,, 🙂,,,,,,,, ><)))):<
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