Schools of dead fish, swarming birds causing a stink in South Jersey

Residents of a South Jersey community are having a rough week after schools of dead fish lured in hundreds of birds, leaving a strong stench in the air.

Neighbors who live on Osbourne Island in Little Egg Harbor Township, Ocean County, say they're partly relieved the blooms of dead fish have started to clear out of the lagoons.

But, residents say there's a catch: the fish odor has attracted masses of large birds, which are now hanging around people's homes and leaving messes behind.

People told Action News their quiet community now looks like a scene out of Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds.'

"I could say a thousand easily and I probably wouldn't be wrong," said Len Caslin from Osbourne Island.

For days, residents reported hundreds or possibly thousands of birds swarming the area. Presumably, the birds are there to feast on the large amounts of dead fish.

The fish suffocated and washed up in several lagoons running through the neighborhood, authorities say.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) told Action News poor water quality and low oxygen levels are to blame for the dead fish.

By Wednesday, most seemed to have been cleared out, except for the lagoon behind Rosalie Blois' home.

"It's pretty awful," said Blois. "Without the windows open and the nice breeze, it's very hot in there. It doesn't have AC so it does make things very difficult."

Blois said she reached out to the NJDEP to get things cleaned up, but nothing has come out of it.

Now, she says she can't use her interior porch as the rancid smell is too much.

Other people said the birds are the bigger problem to deal with.

"You couldn't even see the roof, that's how many were there," said Caslin.

The Action Cam spotted dozens of them swarming lagoons and sitting on roofs, relieving themselves wherever they could.

Jerry Loughrin says he's been dodging bird poop for days.

"You can't even start cleaning it up because as soon as you get done you have to start all over again," he said.

While many agree it's a disgusting situation to grapple with, they also say it's part of living on the water.

"If you choose to live on water this is what happens occasionally, so you deal with it," said Loughrin.

"You take all the bad with all the good," Caslin added.