Thousands of dead fish wash up on Texas Gulf beach

According to a report from Quitana Beach County, a large number of dead fish washed up on a Texas Gulf beach.

Specifically, at the other end of Bryan Beach, the Brazos River empties about six miles off the coast of Quintana Park.

Thousands of dead fish were discovered on Friday mornings, and local officials reported that the cause of death was warm water.

Warm water cannot hold as much oxygen as cooler water can.

Quintana Beach County Park posted on Facebook that when the water rises to above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, it becomes very difficult for the fish to get enough oxygen to live.

The most affected waters are shallow because they heat up faster, and if a fish is trapped in warm water, it will begin to suffer from hypoxia.

Hypoxia is a state in which there is too little oxygen, and the animal’s body cannot maintain homeostasis, so the fish will begin to exhibit erratic behavior, thus depleting its oxygen levels.

Fox News also reported that another reason for fish die-off could be cloudy skies, as they block photosynthesis of algal phytoplankton.

“So, in a nutshell, it was the perfect storm to deplete oxygen levels offshore,” the Quintana Beach County Park noted.

Officials quickly began removing the remains of the fish; however, the tide needed to recede in order to remove all the fish, according to the Fox 26 report.