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Their deaths, in fact, are the result of a "naturally occurring phenomenon," according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
The dead bunker were first spotted floating between 59th Street and the George Washington Bridge on the Manhattan side of the river. People in Edgewater and Fort Lee who also noticed them posted footage to social media.
Warm water temperatures are likely a contributing factor, according to the DEC, adding water is less able to hold dissolved oxygen than cool water.
The fish, as a result, suffer hypoxia -- or low oxygen -- which "can often be fatal to these large schools while other fishes and marine organisms are stressed but will ultimately survive," the DEC said.
Large numbers of fish in confined bodies of water, excessive algal growth and warm water temperatures can trigger hypoxia, the conservationists said.
"This is a natural phenomenon, and fish kills of this type can be expected during the warm months of the year and generally have little impact on region-wide fish population numbers,” the DEC said in a statement.
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