A stinky situation: Hundreds of dead fish remain in Salem Harbor one week after spill

SALEM, Mass. — One week after thousands of dead fish washed up along a seawall in Salem, hundreds of fish are still floating at the surface of Hatch’s Wharf.

Salem’s harbormaster told Boston 25 News a fishing net failure last week caused thousands of dead fish to wash up in the harbor.

City officials had hoped the tide and other creatures would clear out the bulk of the fish, but hundreds remain one week later.

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Salem fish

“Grateful to the Salem Department of Public Services and Roca teams that have been working to clear the remnants of the recent fish spill along our shoreline,” Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo wrote Tuesday in a Facebook post, alongside some photos of crews using rakes and heavy machinery to clean up the dead fish. “Professional, diligent, and concerned about our community -- #SalemMA employees and partners are the best!”

The Salem News reported that, according to the city’s health agent, the smelly situation is not putting anyone’s health at risk.

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