Socialites, get a load of this! Thousands of dead fish appeared on the shores of multiple beaches in southeast Texas over the weekend and people are desperately searching for a reason why?
Quintana Beach County Park initially announced on Friday that dead fish were washing up by the thousands and the department even warned the public to stay clear of the local beaches until all the fish had been cleared. This was to avoid the risk of being exposed to bacteria and sharp fins.
The announcement said, “FISH KILL ALERT
Dead fish (mostly menhaden) are washing up by the thousands on our local beaches. Texas Parks and Wildlife is aware. We can not state a cause at this time. UPDATE: TP&W has confirmed that the cause is low dissolved oxygen. We do advise that the public does not come to the beach until the fish have been removed. Since this event is occurring now, and fish are still washing in, we can’t say when the removal process can begin.”
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In an update of the post, Quintana Beach County Park noted that “Crews are beginning the removal process. The tide will need to recede several more feet before all of the fish can be removed. There are still dead fish in the water, and washing in. We do not recommend swimming at this time. Bacterial levels will be high, not to mention the sharp fins on the fish.”
So What Caused This To Happen
A spokesperson with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department confirmed the fish kill was due to a “low dissolved oxygen event.” They estimate tens of thousands of fish have been impacted.
To add, officials explained that the species most impacted was Gulf menhaden, and noted that these events are actually common, especially during the summer when temperatures increase. “If there isn’t enough oxygen in the water, fish can’t “breathe,” the department explained.
In a new post, Quintana Beach County Park further explained the fish kill:
“WARM WATER
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 the water temperature rises above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, it becomes hard for menhaden to receive enough oxygen to survive. Shallow waters warm more quickly than deeper, so if a school of menhaden is trapped in the shallows as the water begins to heat, the fish will start to suffer from hypoxia.This causes fish to act more erratically, which in turn, further depletes the oxygen from the water. Low oxygen can cause menhaden to die in this manner.
CALM SEAS
One way oxygen enters the water is through surface mixing, where air meets the water through wind and waves and subsequent vertical mixing into the ocean interior. We have experienced very calm seas inshore for about 3 weeks. There has been very little wave action.
CLOUDY SKIES
We’ve had a lot of overcast days. The second way oxygen is created is through photosynthesis by microscopic phytoplankton or macroalgae. Daily variations in dissolved oxygen concentration are attributed to photosynthesis and aerobic respiration. Increased dissolved oxygen during the day is a result of photosynthesis which is driven by sunlight.
Photosynthesis stops at night and may slow down on cloudy days, but plants and animals in the water continue to respire and consume free oxygen, decreasing the dissolved oxygen concentration. So in a nutshell, it was the perfect storm to deplete the oxygen levels inshore,” the park wrote on Facebook.
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