Thousands of rotting dead fish 'shredded like skeletons' wash up on beach
Thousands of dead fish washed up looking like "shredded skeletons" along the Texas Gulf Coast over the weekend.
Officials said the incident prompted a major clean-up as the rotting fish continued to wash up over Friday and Saturday.
By Sunday, the last of the fish had washed ashore but people in the area were warned to avoid swimming due to the sharp fish fins strewn about on the beach and the high levels of bacteria.
A "low dissolved oxygen event" is the likely cause, according to Quintana Beach County Park.
Most of the fish that died were Gulf menhaden.
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"Fish kills like this are common in the summer when temperatures increase," the Texas Parks and Wildlife Kills and Spills Team said in a statement.
Fish died after a 'low dissolved oxygen event' (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Recent cloudy skies contributed to the demise of the fish (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)"If there isn't enough oxygen in the water, fish can't 'breathe.'
"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 Texas Parks and Wildlife Kills and Spills Team said the low dissolved oxygen in many cases is a natural occurrence.
The lack of oxygen causes the fish to panic and act erratically, which depletes oxygen levels even further, officials said. (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Water samples taken from the Intracoastal Canal and near the Brazos River were found to have next to "no dissolved oxygen." (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)According to the team, daily variations in dissolved oxygen concentration are attributed to photosynthesis and aerobic respiration, and increased dissolved oxygen during the day is a result of photosynthesis which is driven by sunlight."
Recent cloudy skies contributed to the problems as this reduced the process of photosynthesis in microscopic phytoplankton.
Quintana Beach County Park added: "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.
Officials said thousands more fish are expected to wash up dead on the coast. (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)"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.”
Water samples taken from the Intracoastal Canal and near the Brazos River were found to have next to "no dissolved oxygen."
Officials wanted against the spread of misinformation and said that the fish were not killed by a chemical release into the water in the area.
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