According to county officials, thousands of de@d Menhaden fish washed up on a beach in Texas Gulf Coast on Friday morning.
The de@d fish were discovered, according to Quintana Beach County Park, at the far end of Bryan Beach, close to the entrance of the Brazos River, about six miles down the coast from Quintana Park.
According to county officials, the widespread fish deaths were caused by warmer water, which cannot hold as much oxygen as cooler water.
Fox News confirms the news on its official Twitter account:
Texas Gulf Coast beach covered as thousands of dead Menhaden fish wash ashore https://t.co/qUBRfnCeAW
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 11, 2023
Menhaden find it challenging to obtain enough oxygen to survive when water temperatures are above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a Facebook post from Quintana Beach County Park.
Menhaden will experience hypoxia, a condition when oxygen levels are insufficient to sustain homeostasis if they are confined in shallow waters because they warm more quickly in these conditions. The fish will act more irregularly in these conditions, thus lowering their oxygen levels.
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Another factor contributing to the shortage of oxygen in the water is cloud cover, which prevents macroalgae or microscopic phytoplankton from photosynthesis.
Quintana Beach County Park summarized the situation by saying, “In a nutshell, it was the perfect storm to deplete oxygen levels inshore.”
Workers have started the fish removal procedure but will need additional time for the tide to fall before all the fish are removed.
We’ll update you if this news changes. Follow our Twitter account for the latest news on this issue.
