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POLICE: 'Hundreds' of dead fish wash up on Old Orchard Beach shores

"Hundreds" of dead fish washed ashore on the beaches of Camp Ellis on Friday

A popular Maine shoreline was once again inundated with dead marine life on Friday.

According to an Old Orchard dispatcher, "hundreds" of dead fish washed up on the shores of Camp Ellis early Friday and then again later the same afternoon.

"Crews took care of the first batch but are just arriving for the second," said the OOB dispatcher.

Crews from Maine Marine Patrol were also headed to the scene.

"We have an officer investigating the incient and will release a report on our findings," said Sergeant Wesley Dean of the Maine Marine Patrol.

Maine has seen a spike of dead marine life washing ashore in recent weeks.

Jennifer Goebel of the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office said, in the last ten years, Maine averaged 82 dead or stranded seals in July and August.

RELATED | Maine beaches see 2.5 times more dead and stranded seals this summer. Why?

The federal government declared the deaths of hundreds of seals off the New England coast this summer to be an "unusual mortality event."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said tests indicate dead seals found in New England tested positive for avian flu and phocine distemper.

RELATED | Dozens of dead seals found on beaches in southern Maine

More than 240 seals have been found dead off the Maine coast in July and August, while more than 80 have been reported off New Hampshire and Massachusetts in those months.

NEWS CENTER Maine will update the story as soon as more details become available.

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