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New Jersey Community Using Fish To Curb Mosquito Problem

By John McDevitt

GLOUCESTER COUNTY, N.J., -- 15,000 tiny mosquito eating fish are being released into retention basins at 18 Gloucester County locations this week. It's an annual effort to help reduce the mosquito population which could carry the West Nile Virus.

(credit: John McDevitt/KYW)

About 500 of the fish, no more than three inches each, were released into water garden behind the West Deptford library.

"This is a little bit late in the season. We are provided these fish by the state and the first round of fish apparently had viral issues of their own, so we couldn't use those, this is a different group," said Freeholder Heather Simmons.

Simmons emptied a bucket full of the mosquito larvae eaters into the water.

"They could be a health threat to people and to pets. There are diseases that mosquito's carry that could also impact dogs as well and they are a nuisance.

The fish, natural predators to mosquito larvae, have been used by Gloucester County to fight the buzzing bugs for 12 years now.

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