A FISHY SITUATION

City Council Member Joseph Addabbo displays one of the dead Bunker fish that have been washing up on the beach of Shellbank Basin. Also pictured are Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer (at left of Addabbo) and Democratic District Leader Frank Gulluscio (pictured at Addabbo's right). "Unsightly" and "unacceptable" were the terms used by local elected officials in describing the persistent stream of dead fish washing up on the beach of Shellbank Basin at a Monday, Sept. 8 press conference at the Cross Bay Boulevard Starbucks parking lot in Howard Beach.

City Council Member Joseph Addabbo joined forces with Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer and other community leaders in calling on city agencies to come clean on the curious condition of the basin water and foul odor emanating from it as a result of thousands of fish that have suddenly perished during Labor Day weekend.

John Di Lorenzo, a 157th Street resident, claimed that the latest carnage is due to the Department of Environmental Protection's annual dumping of raw sewage in the basin area.

By opening storm gates, the DEP, Di Lorenzo claimed, knowingly released an unidentified amount of waste into the water, causing Shellbank Basin's aquatic life to perish.

Billy LoZito, a 63-year Howard Beach local, corroborated Di Lorenzo's assertions and mentioned that the agency also added a combination of acid and chlorine to the basin, which has given the water a greenish hue.

Other community members maintain that an aerator, located under the body of water to keep the fish alive, had been shut off on Friday, Aug. 29

The destratification system in place also removes pungent sulfite odors in the area.

Community Board 10 Chairperson Elizabeth Braton had been informed by the DEP that the destratification system had been turned off at the behest of the State Department of Environmental Conservation.

On Friday Sept. 5, however, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office sang a different tune by characterizing the problem as a naturally occurring phenomenon that would be tended to the following Sunday due to preparations that were made for possible floodings over the weekend.

"This is not simply a naturally occurring phenomenon nor is it a situation we should be forced to endure before the appropriate measures are taken," said Addabbo.

"I'm calling for a meeting with DEC, DEP and Community Board 10 to explain the situation and design an appropriate course of action," he added. "This situation is both disgusting and bizarre, and we need to prevent future occurrence."

Pheffer echoed the Council member's sentiments by offering, "When you smell all the fish, you realize the horror. People shouldn't have to deal with this. You're chasing people back indoors."

One of those people who have been forced to remain indoors is Braton's 102-year-old mother, who hasn't stepped outside for two weeks, according to the Board 10 chairperson.

Resident Don Sclafani, 69, told those at the outdoor gathering that DEP is directly dumping waste into the canal, which, he said, would need to be dredged.

Neighbor Cosmo Giamondo of 96th Street and 158th Avenue said that the current state of the Shellbank Basin is the worst it has been in 50 years.

In a press release, State Sen. Serphin Maltese informed that he's been in contact with both the DEC and the Office of Regional Water Engineer to find "a more permanent solution" to the dilemma.

Maltese went on to credit DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd and Deputy Commissioner Doug Greeley for their prompt attention to the matter and their resulting cleanup efforts."