BRUNSWICK

Brunswick Marine Resource Officer and Harbormaster Dan Devereaux said Monday the stench from thousands of dead bait fish washing up along four to five miles of shoreline is so pungent that it stays on your clothes and skin, and coastal residents are furious about it.

On June 6, several fishing vessels located East of Scragg Island were catching pogies by purse seining, a fishing method that uses a net to encircle a school of fish, and then is pulled tight from the bottom. Pogie is a fish commonly used as bait in commercial fishing.

According to Devereaux, the net of one vessel hooked onto a ledge and was unable to be freed. The catch was released, and the dead fish fell to the bay bottom until they rose to the surface and reached the shore about two weeks later. The fish have settled in the marsh areas along the shoreline, said Devereaux.

The number of dead fish is so high even the sea gulls are overwhelmed, joked one resident, who said he is furious the state has not stepped up to help with the cleanup and urged the town council to press for action.

“We can’t live this way,” he said, adding the cleanup is way beyond a volunteer effort. He said best fishing practices should also be examined so this doesn’t happen again.

Town Manager John Eldridge said he contacted the Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher, but was given little direction to resolve the issue, apart from a manual cleanup effort.

Devereaux said the incident was an accident, and the fisherman did not violate any laws because the fish were released outside of the inter- tidal area of Maquoit and Middle Bay, although he added the boat was not far from the line.

The names of the fisherman involved have not been released by the Department of Marine Resources, but a resident of Simpson Point, as well as Devereaux, believe the identities of those involved should be released so they will be held financially accountable for the mistake.

The harbormaster said he will be meeting with Clean Harbors, an environmental services group based in Massachusetts, this morning to assess what the cost of a cleanup will be.

Devereaux said it should be determined if the boat operator has liability insurance because the cost of the cleanup should not be the responsibility of Brunswick taxpayers.

He said it is also unclear how local shellfish and aquaculture will be impacted by the decaying fish.

Brunswick has asked local lobstermen and shellfishermen to collect the excess fish for crab and lobster bait, according to a press release issued Saturday from Brunswick Police Department’s Marine division.

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