A fishy situation has finally been resolved on the Texas coast.
Quintana Beach County Park officials said on Sunday they have managed to clear away thousands of dead fish carcasses. The deaths of these fish have since been attributed to oxygen deprivation.
Officials first reported the sighting of thousands of fish washing up on the coast in a “fish kill event” on June 9. Officials posted multiple images of the beach with hundreds of carcasses lining the shore and even more in the water.
Most of the dead fish were menhaden, but images of other sea creatures, such as a stingray, were also captured. County officials urged citizens to stay away from the beach due to high bacteria levels in the water until the carcasses could be cleared away.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) confirmed that the deaths of these fish could be attributed to low dissolved oxygen.
Park officials described the situation that led to the mass amount of deaths as a “perfect storm” with a combination of warmer waters, calm seas, and overcast skies.
The TPWD Kills and Spills Team gave a statement confirming that “kill events” like this one are common in the summertime.
“Low dissolved oxygen in many cases is a natural occurrence. Daily variations in dissolved oxygen concentration are attributed to photosynthesis and aerobic respiration,” said the team in the statement.
In addition, a representative of TPWD told officials that there was no evidence of any chemical releases.
Park officials announced that pedestrian beaches were cleared of the carcasses on June 11 with the exception of a few fish, which are expected to be carried away or buried by the surf. Beachgoers are still advised to stay away from the beach for the time being.
“Today is a red flag day as far as surf conditions are concerned, so it wouldn’t hurt to give it a couple more days to let everything settle out before making that beach trip,” said park officials in a Facebook post.
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