New Yorkers repulsed by fishy stink

NEW YORK, July 27 (UPI) -- Residents and tourists say they are disgusted by a mysterious fishy stink spoiling the ambiance of New York's posh South Street Seaport.

Restaurant owners near the seaport in New York's Manhattan borough say the offending odor is chasing away diners from chic downtown eateries, the New York Post reported Sunday.

"It's disgusting -- like rotten fish left out on a sidewalk for a year," said Venanzio Pasubio, 33, owner of ll Brigante.

Some locals say the smell may be coming from illegal waste dumping, but no one knows for sure.

"We're supposed to be up and coming and trendy," resident Ellen Murphy said. "Now we just smell like fish."

Smell expert Dr. Avery Gilbert speculated the stink is the result of "amines," a fishy smell given off when proteins break down.