Shocking photographs indicate that this week, thousands of de@d fish washed up on a beach along the Texas gulf coast, covering the shore with foul carcasses.
Several miles down the coast from Quintana Beach County Park in Brazoria County, the swarm of rotting Menhaden fish was discovered on Friday at Bryan Beach, close to the entrance of the Brazos River, according to local authorities.
Warm water, which cannot contain as much oxygen as cold water, spurred the mass kill, which was “caused by a low dissolved oxygen event,” according to a statement from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Kills and Spills Team and park officials.
New York Post confirms the news on its official Twitter account:
Thousands of dead fish wash up on beach on Texas gulf coast https://t.co/g0tFGj2vl0 pic.twitter.com/mYWfpskjMX
— New York Post (@nypost) June 12, 2023
In a Facebook post, park officials stated that “when the water temperature rises above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, it becomes difficult for menhaden to receive enough oxygen to survive.” If a school of menhaden is stuck in the shallows as the water heats up, the fish will start to experience hypoxia since shallow waters warm more quickly than deeper ones.
Oxygen-Deprived Fish Panic
According to officials, fish that are oxygen-deprived panic and behave erratically, which further reduces oxygen levels.
The Kills and Spills Team reports that fish kills like this one is frequent during the summer when temperatures rise.
Recent gloomy skies, which prevent microscopic phytoplankton or macroalgae from photosynthesis, and calm waters, according to officials, formed the “perfect storm to deplete the oxygen.”
Fish can frequently be observed gulping at the water’s surface in the early morning hours before a kill event takes place, according to officials. Additionally, some fish can be resting on the ground or on the water’s edge.
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The last de@d fish that washed up on the shore on Saturday and Sunday had “deteriorated to the point of being shredded skeletons,” according to park officials.
On the beach on Saturday and Sunday, park personnel used machinery to remove the decaying debris.
According to officials, any de@d fish that are left behind will likely be organically buried in the sand and seas during the next few days.
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