Thousands of dead fish have appeared in Miami’s Biscayne Bay, alarming residents in the area.

The dead fish could be seen in the water along Morningside Park all the way past 79th Street on Tuesday.

Witnesses called authorities to report they saw thousands of dead fish, including snapper, needlefish, pufferfish, sea trout and crabs.

Nearby residents said the smell is overwhelming.

“I knew something died, I didn’t know where it was,” said resident Frances Jackson. “I didn’t realize it was the fish, but yeah, you can smell it all over the neighborhood.”

“It was a river of dead fish and then last night, there were islands of dead fish,” said resident Kathryn Mikesell.

The Fish and Wildlife Research Institute will be working with Miami River keepers and city employees to collect water samples.

The results are expected to return later in the week, which will help determine what could be causing the abundance of dead fish in the area.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said the situation is most likely natural and that they have no reason to believe it is related to any human activity.

FWC urges any individual who sees the dead fish along the bay to call their Fish Kill Hotline at 800-636-0511.