DH8 CREW HAVE A VERY CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH PARACHUTE JUMPERS AT PHL.

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LAST ATC CLRNC WAS 170 DEG HDG AND 4000 FT. RECEIVED WHILE WE WERE STILL NNE OF THE FIELD ENTERING A DOWNWIND LEG FOR RWY 35 IN PHL. AT ABOUT 12-15 MI SSE OF THE FIELD; STILL ON A 170 DEG HDG AND 4000 FT ON THE DOWNWIND FOR RWY 35; WE SAW WHAT APPEARED AS A WX BALLOON. IT WAS A LITTLE ABOVE OUR ALT AT OUR 11:30 TO 12 O'CLOCK POS MOVING SLOWLY FROM L TO R AND DSNDING SLOWLY. WITHIN A COUPLE OF SECONDS WE SAW A LITTLE PARACHUTE FOLLOWED BY A BIG CANOPY OPEN AND FILL WITH AIR; CURRENTLY ON OUR 12 - 12:30 POS. IT APPEARED TO TURN R TOWARDS US AT A HIGH CLOSING RATE. WE AGGRESSIVELY MANEUVERED THE AIRPLANE TO THE L; AWAY FROM THE TFC ON FINAL FOR RWY 35; AND AS WE WERE ROLLING OUT FROM THE TURN BARELY MISSING THE PARACHUTER. WE SAW 4 OR 5 CHUTES OPEN 300 FT ABOVE OUR L WING. WE AGGRESSIVELY MANEUVERED BACK TO THE R; ROLLED OUT ON A 120 DEG HDG AND ADVISED ATC OF THE OCCURRENCE. ATC TURNED US FURTHER ON A 150 DEG HDG AND WITHIN 1 MIN TO A 270 DEG HDG FOR THE BASE TURN. AT THIS POINT I TOLD THE CTLR 'YOU KNOW WE HAD TO AGGRESSIVELY MANEUVER TO AVOID THOSE PARACHUTERS AND IF WE HAD NOT SEEN THEM OPEN WHEN WE DID; IT WOULD HAVE TURNED OUT VERY UGLY.' THE CTLR RESPONDED 'YEAH; I KNOW; THEY NEVER MADE ANY CALLS FOR THE DROP AND I AM HAVING THEM CALL HERE WHEN THEY GET ON THE GND.' NOTE: WE DID NOT HEAR OF ANY PARACHUTING ACTIVITY ON ANY OF THE APCH FREQS OR THE ATIS WHICH WE PICKED UP AT APPROX XA05. IN OUR OPINION; THIS INCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY THE FAILURE OF THE PARACHUTING TEAM TO COORDINATE WITH ATC. IN OUR LIMITED UNDERSTANDING OF PARACHUTING; THE DROP IS SUPPOSED TO BE CALLED BY THE JUMP MASTER. IF THIS ONE PERSON WHO IS SUPPOSED TO BE COORDINATING WITH ATC DOES NOT MAKE ANY CALLS; THESE KINDS OF INCIDENTS WILL HAPPEN. EITHER A SYS NEEDS TO BE DEVELOPED WHERE ATC CAN DIRECTLY MONITOR THE INTERNAL OP OF A JUMP PLANE; WITHOUT RELYING ON THE PARACHUTING TEAM ALONE; OR PARACHUTING IN SUCH HIGH TFC AREAS; OR ANYWHERE CLOSE TO THEM; SHOULD NOT TAKE PLACE.