NORFOLK, Va., Aug. 4 (UPI) -- A Virginia company says it's working to clean up 75,000 fish spilled from fishing nets off the state's coast, including 20,000 washed ashore on a local beach.
Omega Protein said the thousands of menhaden, an Atlantic fish used mostly for animal feed, spilled from nets Monday about 4 1/2 miles from Grandview Island, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot reported.
After the fish fell from the net, they sank to the bottom, which is common in a net accident, company spokesman Ben Landy said.
"The captain indicated that he felt a tug or net tear while he was pumping the fish," Landy said.
After a while, he said, the fish float to the surface and are carried along by the tide.
About 20,000 of the floating fish washed onto a 5-mile stretch of beach near Hampton.
Crews would work through Thursday to clean the beaches, Landy said, while skimmers gathered fish floating in the water.
"It's our responsibility to clean it up and that's exactly what we plan on doing," Landry said.
