Tens of Thousands of Dead Fish Washed Up on Beaches Along Texas Gulf Coast
“…the fish kill was investigated and it was determined to have been caused by a low dissolved oxygen event.”
Tens of thousands of dead Menhaden fish washed up on the shores of Brazoria County over the weekend.
It happened because of a lack 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 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.” Low dissolved oxygen in many cases is a natural occurrence. 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. 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.”
Katie St. Clair, the sea life facility manager at Texas A&M University at Galveston, told KHOU, “this phenomenon affects schools of fish the most.”
The low waves also helped move and keep the fish on the beach.
The county rakes up the fish and buries them in the dunes. This action helps the fish to “become compost, which serves as a health park of the ecosystem for the dune grass.”
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Comments
More likely these fish were partying with Hunter.
Or campaigning with Desantis.
It’s always enjoyable to witness your lame attempts at humor.
Glad to learn you can find enjoyment outside of public restrooms.
Menhaden fish are frequently scooped up by commercial boats and taken to coastal processing plants where they are ground into fertilizer. If you have been near one of the plants and the wind is right, you never forget the smell. There was one down the Intra Coastal from Southport, NC for years. In the summer when the wind changed the smell would penetrate any exterior wall material.
And they absolutely destroy the ecosystem that feeds the big game fish in doing so. Overfishing Menhaden is a big problem on the east coast
They are also used to create non edible fish oil for things like WD-40
What’s with the disinformation from TX Parks? EVERYBODY knows that this, like EVERYTHING was caused by
global warmingclimate changeclimate chaoscows farting.Fish were immortal before climate change.
Reminds me of the alewives die-off in Lake Michigan in the late 60s.
An the introduction of Coho Salmon.
Excellent decision:
They were successfully introduced into the Great Lakes in 1966, when smolts where stocked in two Lake Michigan tributary streams; Platte River and Bear Creek (Big Manistee River tributary). There was excitement from anglers and fish managers when coho made their first spawning run in the fall of 1967. Since that time, the coho has become a popular sport fish, and many people come from all over the world to fish Michigan’s great coho fishery.
As for coho in great lakes, they tend to feed on alewives</b< and smelt.
I grew up eating smelt too. Get little snacking fish to go with a beer.
Avoid sushi for the next week or so.
“Tens of thousands of dead Menhaden fish washed up on the shores of Brazoria County over the weekend.”
Are we sure this isn’t just a turf war with a school of Brookline or Bronxian fish?
‘Warriors come out and play…’
Low DO can result from an overload of organic material being broken down and consuming the oxygen. Has anyone observed the method of relief that millions of wandering refugees must deal with?
Long ago I was responsible for raw water and wastewater systems at a paper mill, and low DO would cause us to halt discharge to the Pee Dee River thanks to enviro laws. We would occasionally add 50% Hydrogen Peroxide to the beginning of the wastewater treatment process to raise the dissolved oxygen content to acceptable levels.
I would calibrate the addition of H2O2 according to outfall flow and the process was highly technical…adjust flow by using a graduated cylinder to measure a set volume of liquid in one minute and adjust accordingly.
It would take several tries to get the correct feed calibrated and I discovered that 50% Hydrogen Peroxide does quite significant damage to a colony of fire ants.
It looked like a Mayan sacrifice!
Blame it on the gays and trans. They’re always sucking the oxygen out of every room they’re in….
And vegans, too.
I’m thinking one helluva big stick of dynamite, just sayin.
Has anyone attributed this to climate change or racism yet?
“Increased dissolved oxygen during the day is a result of photosynthesis which is driven by sunlight.”
And the input fuel for all that necessary photosynthesis is…?
Extra credit if you’re a brain-dead global warmenizer!