Beach crews dedicated their weekend to removing an extensive quantity of deceased fish along the Texas Gulf Coast, according to shore officials.
Quintana Beach County Park revealed on Facebook that the fish began washing up on Friday due to a "low dissolved oxygen event."
The influx of fish continued on Saturday, but by Sunday morning, officials announced that it seemed all the fish had already washed ashore.
According to the park, the latest fish to wash up are in such poor condition that they have degraded into shredded skeletons. The majority of the deceased fish were Gulf menhaden.
As the fish mortality event persisted, officials cautioned against swimming due to elevated bacterial levels and the potential risk posed by the sharp fins of the fish.
According to Quintana Beach County Park, water samples collected from the vicinity exhibited minimal levels of dissolved oxygen. There was no indication of any chemical release affecting the fish.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Kills and Spills Team stated that fish die-offs of this nature are typical during the summer months when temperatures rise. In their statement, they explained that insufficient oxygen in the water hampers the fish's ability to breathe.
The water's low oxygen levels could also be attributed to the absence of wind and waves, which usually facilitate the entry of oxygen into the water.
Combined with cloudy conditions, it may have further contributed to the reduced oxygen levels in the water.
