Dead fishes found on beaches shore in Texas as they died from lack of oxygen from the water being warm.
Waves upon waves of dead fish washed ashore on beaches south of Houston over the weekend, causing foul smells and unsightly scenery as well as concerns among the public.
The dead fish covered the sands at Quintana Beach County Park, Bryan Beach and other beaches in the Freeport area, where the Brazos River feeds into the Gulf of Mexico, from Friday until Sunday, according to a series of weekend Facebook posts by Quintana Beach County Park. The park’s pedestrian beach had mostly been cleared as of Sunday afternoon, and its public beach was set to be cleaned beginning Monday.
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department spokesperson Julie Hagen said Monday the mass fish casualties were caused by low oxygen levels in nearby water, because of a recent rise in water temperatures and other likely factors, with the fish essentially having suffocated. She said the fish kill is unrelated to nearby industrial activity as the aforementioned beaches are next to Freeport LNG, one of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas facilities.
“According to our Kills and Spills Team, we are accustomed to seeing low dissolved oxygen events this time of year, especially with all the rainfall the rivers of Southeast Texas are receiving this spring and summer,” Hagen wrote in an email. “This fish kill is not the result of a particular pollution event or spill from nearby industry.
Park officials said cooler water is capable of holding much more oxygen than warmer water, and fish that find themselves in warm water can end up in big trouble. When water temperature rises above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, it becomes hard for Menhaden to receive enough oxygen to survive.
Officials added that the very calm seas, which has been experienced inshore for about three weeks, is another issue, along with cloudy skies in the area. Park officials said crews are beginning the removal process. However, the tide will need to recede several more feet before all the fish can be removed. There are still dead fish in the water, and washing in.
Officials added it is not recommended to swim at this time as bacterial levels will be high, not to mention the sharp fins on the fish.
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