A ship spilled thousands of menhaden fish near Silver Beach on the Eastern Shore this week, sending them onto the beach.
The spill occurred around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, according to a news release from the Fisheries Management Division of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
After a fishing net tore, a ship owned by Ocean Harvesters of Reedville spilled the fish. By Wednesday morning, people reported that dead fish were washing ashore.
Pat Geer, chief of fisheries management for the VMRC, said later that Ocean Harvesters reported the spill around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday. VMRC and the Department of Environmental Quality sent crews to evaluate the situation. As of Wednesday morning, Ocean Harvesters had deployed equipment for the cleanup, he said.
Menhaden are a small, silvery fish and a major source of omega-3 fatty acids. They are too tiny and oily to eat, but they are used to make fertilizer, bait, supplements and animal feed, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
There are about three spills by menhaden vessels each year, according to the news release. They are often caused by nets that get snagged and the majority are in the ocean.
“Most of the time it’s not an issue,” Geer said. “It’s when you get the wrong weather conditions and they float towards shore.”
Debbie Campbell, a Silver Beach resident, said she started seeing dead fish on July 3. Then there was a second, “massive” batch of dead fish that appeared on Wednesday.
“By 9 a.m., they were everywhere as far as the eye can see,” she said.
Every summer, dead fish make it impossible for residents to use the beaches, she said. She wishes companies had to fish farther offshore and thinks the current situation is bad for the Chesapeake Bay.
“It’s pretty horrific,” she said.
Noble Brigham, noble.brigham@virginiamedia.com
