An eel-ly nasty problem brews in B’klyn lake

There’s nothing quite like an autumn Sunday in New York — pumpkin spice lattes, crisp air and the charming sight of a strange man dumping two bags of eels into a lake.

Such a scene unfolded in Prospect Park last week and and was captured in a video that went viral.

“Yo, you’re not supposed to be dumping eels here, dude — is that all eels?” asks Dominick Pabon, the fisherman who recorded the odd occurrence.

The fish slinger replies: “I’m saving lives, I just wanna save lives.”

But state environmental officials say the ee-legal act may actually harm more lives than save them, because the fish were likely Asian swamp eels, an invasive species that disrupts American aquatic ecosystems.

No one has been able to track down the slippery suspect, and the state Department of Environmental Conservation said it’s impossible to scoop out all the eels. The DEC is responsible for monitoring the health of Prospect Park Lake.

The best authorities can do is keep an eye on the water during regular surveys and remove any eels spotted during checkups. It’s unlikely they’ll survive in colder temperatures, the DEC said.

Pabon shared his video with the Daily News, which shows the seemingly flustered man defending his deadly act.

“You’re killing other life in here, the eels are not supposed to be here,” Pabon exclaims in the video.

“It’s not an eel,” the man repeats several times, adding that he got them from the store. “You don’t need to call the cops. I’m saving lives. I don’t want them killed.”

The DEC said it also has seen illegal releases of the eels in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and Kissena Park, both in Queens.

“American eels are vital to the ecosystem, both as a food source for many animals, but also as a top predator in their own right as they mature,” said Chris Bowser, DEC environmental educator.

By contrast, he said, Asian swamp eels

are a serious threat to New York’s biodiversity, and can damage the lake habitat and kill off native fish and wildlife.