DHC-8A CREW HAD NMAC WITH SIX SKY DIVERS IN PHL CLASS B.

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WHILE NNE OF PHL WE RECEIVED CLRNC TO 4000 FT AND 170 DEG HEADING FOR DOWNWIND TO RWY 35 AT PHL ABOUT 12-15 MILES SSE OF PHL STILL ON 170 DEG HEADING AND 4000 FT WE SAW WHAT AT FIRST APPEARED TO BE A WX BALLOON. IT WAS A LITTLE ABOVE US AT OUR 11-1130 TO 12 O'CLOCK POS MOVING L TO R AND DESCENDING SLOWLY. WITHIN A FEW SECONDS WE SAW THAT IT WAS A PARACHUTE AND AT OUR 12-1230 POS. IT APPEARED TO TURN TOWARDS US AND WAS CLOSING RAPIDLY. WE AGGRESSIVELY MANEUVERED TO THE L AWAY FROM THE CHUTE AND TFC ON FINAL FOR RWY 35. AS WE ROLLED OUT FROM THE TURN WE THEN SAW 4-5 MORE CHUTES OPEN APPROX 300 FT ABOVE OUR L WING. WE AGAIN AGGRESSIVELY MANEUVERED TO THE R AND ROLLED OUT ON A 120 DEG HEADING AND ADVISED ATC OF THE INCIDENT. ATC TURNED US TO 150 DEGS AND THEN TO 270 DEGS. THE CAPT INFORMED THE CTLR THAT HAD WE NOT MANEUVERED WHEN WE DID IT COULD HAVE BEEN QUITE UGLY. THE CTLR ANSWERED SAYING 'YEAH I KNOW THEY NEVER MADE ANY CALLS FOR THE DROP. AND I'M HAVING THEM CALL HERE WHEN THEY GET ON THE GROUND.' IN MY OPINION THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED DUE TO THE JUMP PLANES FAILURE TO NOTIFY ATC THEY HAD JUMPERS AWAY. ALSO IN MY OPINION SKYDIVING ACTIVITIES SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN SUCH CLOSE PROXIMITY TO OR IN CLASS B AIRSPACE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CREW WAS ON A R BASE FOR RWY 35 APPROX 4 MI ABEAM THE ARPT. THE FO WAS FLYING WHEN THE CAPT GRABBED THE WHEEL AND MADE A MAX TURN RATE TO THE L. THE PARACHUTISTS PASSED SO CLOSE THAT THE RPTR COULD SEE THE EXPRESSION ON THE JUMPERS FACE. RPTR QUESTIONS WHY THE FAA ALLOWS JUMP ACTIVITY ANYWHERE NEAR ACR ARPT.