Thousands of dead fish wash ashore on Texas beach; visitors warned away 

Thousands of dead fish washed ashore on a beach along the Gulf Coast of Texas starting Friday after warm waters led to low levels of oxygen.

Quintana Beach County Park officials advised members of the public to avoid the beach until the fish are removed. Officials said in an update Monday that the pedestrian beach was mostly clear of the fish but advised the public to let everything else settle for a couple days before heading to the beach.

“Often before a kill event occurs, fish can be seen trying to get oxygen by gulping at the surface of the water early in the morning. Some fish may also be lying on the bottom or at the edge of the water,” the Texas Parks & Wildlife Kills and Spills Team said in a statement.

Photos posted by the park office showed thousands of fish washed upon the shore, and video footage showed thousands of dead fish floating near the shore. An update posted by officials said that the last wave of fish washed ashore Sunday, noting that the most recent batch of fish was largely just “shredded skeletons,” and that beach crews were working to clear the pedestrian beach.

Officials said that weather and ocean conditions created the “perfect storm to deplete the oxygen levels,” which caused mass fish deaths in the area. They said when water temperature rises above 70 degrees, it becomes difficult for menhaden fish to receive enough oxygen to live.

The high temperatures combined with calm seas and cloudy skies created the deathly conditions for the fish, according to officials, who noted that overcast days can hinder the photosynthesis processes for algae and plankton, which also provides oxygen to the water.

Officials also noted that there was no evidence that a chemical event was the cause of the fish kill event, saying that they determined it was caused by low levels of oxygen in the water.

“According to the Kills and Spills Team in Region 3, the fish kill was investigated and it was determined to have been caused by a low dissolved oxygen event,” the Texas Parks & Wildlife Kills and Spills Team said. “The species most impacted was Gulf menhaden. Fish kills like this are common in the summer when temperatures increase. If there isn’t enough oxygen in the water, fish can’t ‘breathe.’”