According to coast officials, beach units spent the entire weekend clearing the Texas Gulf Coast of dead fish that washed ashore.
The dead fish that washed up on the coast (Photo: CBS News)
Dead Fish Started to Appear Ashore
Thousands of dead fish washed up along the coast of Texas Gulf. The fish started appearing on shore last Friday due to “a low dissolved oxygen event”, as posted on Facebook by the Quintana Beach County Park. The number of fish appearing on the coast kept increasing from Saturday until early Sunday morning. According to the park, the last of the fish that appeared on the coast almost looked like “shredded skeletons”.
The park added that most of the fish that appeared on shore were Gulf menhaden, a kind of fish that mostly occupies the Gulf of Mexico and its neighboring waters. Officials advised beachgoers to avoid swimming at the moment due to the potential risk of being injured from the fish’s remains and high bacterial count.
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Why Dead Fish Suddenly Washed Up Along the Shore?
According to Quintana Park, samples taken from the coast show that there was no dissolved oxygen in the water and that there was no evidence of chemicals being released, which would explain the deaths of the fish that were found along the coast.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Kills and Spills Team stated that an increase in temperature, especially during summer, is the main reason for fish kills like this. They also added that fish cannot breathe if the water is lacking in oxygen. The cloudy climate in the area may have caused the water’s drop in oxygen levels.
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