Smelly Fish Cleanup Stalled On Wealthy Hamptons Lane, Financing Sought

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — With cleanup efforts at a standstill, the stench of rotting fish still wafts along one of the wealthiest streets of Southampton.

According to Southampton Village Mayor Mark Epley, more than 1,000 tons of fish are still piled up in the marsh near Meadow Lane, one of the most exclusive addresses in the Hamptons.

The delay, Epley said, comes down to dollars: "We're trying to get a funding source," he said.

Epley said he's had complaints about the smell, one as recently as Thursday. The smell, he added, worsens depending upon the temperature and wind direction.

Earlier this week, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman reported that more than 170 tons of decaying, smelly dead bunker fish have been removed from Shinnecock Bay since a massive fish kill recently.

In an update Monday, Schneiderman said, since the fish kill on Nov. 13 — which was caused by millions of pounds of live manheden, or "bunker" exhausting their oxygen supply and dying —Southampton Town has been engaged in a monumental cleanup.

To date, more than 342,000 lbs. of rotting fished have been hauled away, the supervisor said.

Originally, most of the dead bunker was located at the mouth of, and within, the Shinnecock Canal, Schneiderman said in a release. The outgoing tides and opening of canal tidal gates carried the dead bunker into the bay, where some sank and others were washed out through the Shinnecock Inlet, he added.

"After a few days, decomposing fish from the bay bottom rose to the surface. Winds and currents moved these foul smelling fish onto bay beaches and into marinas and coves," Schneiderman said — with a massive amount heading straight for Southampton Village.

Southampton Village was hit hard by the massive fish kill in the Shinnecock Canal — in November, it was estimated that more than a million pounds of smelly bunker washed up near the tony Meadow Lane.

Epley said on the upside, it was fortunate that the fish kill didn't take place during the height of the summer season, when residents are out in droves and enjoying their estates in the area.

Cleanup efforts were initially underway in both the town and village, with Will Caldwell of C Well Fish leading the efforts.

"We removed 12 tons of fish today," Epley said in November. "The town hired the same company, Will Caldwell, to remove the fish."

The village, Epley said, has been working to get a permit from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to go into the marsh and collect the dead bunker.

And now, an infusion of funding is needed before cleanup can proceed.

Schneiderman said Caldwell and his crew removed approximately 57,000 pounds, or 28.5 tons of "dead, smelly fish from Shinnecock Bay beaches in just three days. That's a lot of fish."

Southampton Town made plans to take the fish into its facility, where it will become fertilizer; the town will also take the village's bunker and charge no tipping fees, Schneiderman said.

"Our facility is capable of taking in another hundred yards of material. We will end up with excellent compost next year," the supervisor said.

The Meadow Lane fish, Schneiderman said, "go on for a very long stretch. It's just tremendous." All the fish that died in the Shinnecock Canal got pushed out with the outgoing tide, and, as they began to decompose, began to float.

Prevailing winds pushed them in a southeasterly direction to Meadow Lane, where many multi-million dollar estates are located, the supervisor said.

"I think some people were surprised when they came out for the weekend and the smell was unbearable," Schneiderman said.

Caldwell said neighbors on Meadow Lane approached him as he commenced with the cleanup.

Two homeowners, he said, walked out and begged him to come to their house. "They said they can't turn on the heat because the smell coming from the vent is atrocious. They've been living in the cold."

Another woman, a caretaker for an "enormous mansion," said the homeowners came out this weekend. "They said they're not coming back until this is over with."

The homeowners, Caldwell said, wanted to write a letter to the mayor to complain.

"I told her she needed to write the mayor to thank him. This is a huge expense for these municipalities, they just can't handle it," he said.

Southampton Town contracted $6,000 for cleanup for three days, Friday through Sunday; Southampton Village, Caldwell said, contracted for four days at a price of $10,000.

But now, funding is critically needed before cleanup to commence.

"This project could go into a month," Caldwell said. "We are seeing if this can be declared a natural disaster and can receive some Federal Emergency Management funding." The village, he said, "can't afford something like this."

Caldwell said he's working at half his normal rate because he lives in town but "it's still expensive."

Photo by Will Caldwell