NEW BRITAIN, Conn. -- In increase in dead fish appearing in Stanley Quarter Pond in New Britain prompted city leaders to consult the state to find a cause.

"I've never seen so many dead fishes," New Britain resident Hiram Luciano said.

Luciano said he noticed the fish while taking some young relatives for a walk in the park.

"We're talking hundreds, at least hundreds, all around the park," he said. "You see dead fishes all around."

New Britain resident Elizabeth Bumbar said she was trying to enjoy the nice spring day, even though she was being assaulted by an unpleasant sight and odor.

"There are lots of dead fishes, and it could be nice if they cleaned it up," Bumbar said.

The state Department of Environmental Protection and the city said the problem appears to strictly involve sunfish, noting there are other fish, birds and turtles at the pond showing no ill effects. The DEP said that happens every year in New Britain and other parts of the state, to varying degrees, because it's the spawning season for the species.

"The sunfish have a virus or bacteria when they spawn," Parks and Recreation Commission Director Bill DeMaio said. "I'm told that they don't eat properly and they become less healthy, just like human beings would be if you didn't eat, and they pass the bacteria to each other."