First Street Residents
>
> FYI. Results of inquires made by Keyport Borough Officials regarding the
> dead bunker continuing to wash up on the beach.
>
> Borough Officials, thanks for your inquires regarding this problem.
>
> Regards
> Michael Lane
>
> Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 2:58 PM
> Subject: RE: Dead menhaden wash up on shore
>
>
>>
>> I spoke with Captain Joe Meyer from the State (Marine Fisheries), who
>> assured me that this is a naturally occurring problem.  The bunker
>> population this year has reached mass proportions, and the swarms of them
>> are likely starving each other out of dissolved oxygen in the water.
>>
>> If there were a pollution issue, spill, or other environmental problem,
>> you
>> would see other species of fish washing up as well (granted in smaller
>> numbers than the bunker since they are the predominant fish).
>>
>> Reports are that motor boat operators are also seeing hundreds of bunker
>> getting "boiled up" in their wake as the schools are so crowded they
>> cannot
>> move off the top of the water, which may be another way that the
>> overpopulation is leading to dead fish.
>>
>> He gave me his assurance that there was no need for any type of action.
>>
>> I hope this helps.
>>
>> Peter R. Valesi, P.E., CME
>> Borough of Keyport

>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Joe Sheridan [mailto:joe.sheridan@valcor.com]
>> Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 1:37 PM
>> To: Pete Valesi; 'Bergen, Robert'; 'Michael Lane'
>> Cc: 'George Walling'; 'Bill Ortman'; 'Ezra Hill'; 'Richard Hassmiller';
>> 'Christian Bolte'
>> Subject: Re: Dead menhaden wash up on shore
>>
>> Pete,
>>
>> Please contact the DEP.  Ask them if they tested the water.  Ask them if
>> we
>> need to post some sort of warning at our pier.  People crab and fish off
>> of
>> our pier...and eat what they catch.  If there is some pollution killing
>> that
>>
>> type of fish JUST around Keyport, we should know.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> J
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 1:26 PM
>> Subject: RE: Dead menhaden wash up on shore
>>
>>
>>>
>>> I have already checked with Keansburg, Union Beach, and Aberdeen
>>> (Cliffwood/Laurence Harbor) and none of them have the bunker issue.
>>>
>>> The coast guard has no indication of a boating/fishing incident, we
>>> heard
>>> back from them today.
>>>
>>> As for the DEP or fish & wildlife, I have not contacted them.  It
>>> appears
>>> from reports of other fishermen (garnered from my calls to Aberdeen and
>>> our
>>> own townsfolk) that the bunker are still popping up dead.
>>>
>>> Peter R. Valesi, P.E., CME
>>> Borough of Keyport

>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Bergen, Robert [mailto:BergenR@carteret.net]
>>> Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 12:24 PM
>>> To: Michael Lane
>>> Cc: George Walling; Peter Valesi; Joseph Sheridan; Bill Ortman; Ezra
>>> Hill;
>>> Richard Hassmiller; Christian Bolte
>>> Subject: RE: Dead menhaden wash up on shore
>>>
>>> Pete:
>>>
>>> Can you get me all that we know on this from any agencies that we may
>>> have spoken to.  I want to call the dep commissioner for some help, but
>>> I want to know what we have and what has been done first.  Do we have
>>> any idea if it is effecting any other areas beside Keyport?
>>>
>>> Thanks.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Michael Lane [mailto:mslane@att.net]
>>> Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 8:51 AM
>>> To: Bergen, Robert
>>> Cc: George Walling; Peter Valesi; Joseph Sheridan; Bill Ortman; Ezra
>>> Hill; Richard Hassmiller; Christian Bolte
>>> Subject: Dead menhaden wash up on shore
>>>
>>> Mayor Robert Berben
>>> Keyport Borough
>>>
>>> Rob
>>>
>>> FYI. Attached is an e-mail from Tracy Dell regarding his observations on
>>> the fish kill.
>>>
>>> Regards
>>> Michael Lane
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Joseph Reynolds/Bayshore Watershed Council"
>>>>>> Cc: <recipient list not shown:>
>>> Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 11:37 AM
>>> Subject: An Email Reply to: Dead menhaden wash up on shore
>>>
>>>
>>>> An email from watershed member Tracy of Keyport:
>>>>
>>>> Poppycock! (to the idea that the fish died as a result of a bad
>>> commercial
>>>> fishing
>>>> operation)
>>>> I watched them floating to the surface still kicking, barely. The
>>> water is
>>>> as bad as I have ever seen it.
>>>> Ask why are they only in Keyport Harbor? There are no commercial
>>> fishing
>>>> ops
>>>> nearby that would concentrate them in one spot. The explanation makes
>>> no
>>>> sense.
>>>> The harbor has been packed with them recently. They have not been in
>>> the
>>>> harbor (alive that is) lately, yet further out in the bay there have
>>> been
>>>> copius amounts of them.
>>>> My money is on they suffocated in oxygen depleted Keyport Harbor. Sure
>>>> looked like it to me and I have been sailing through them all week.
>>>>
>>>> Tracey