Why Are There Thousands of Dead Fish on This Texas Beach?

You may have noticed in the news that last Friday, June 9th, 2023, thousands of dead fish washed up onto the shore at Quintana Beach County Park in Quintana, Texas. According to KSAT and CNN, the fish were "scattered for miles down the coast".

So, what happened? How did they all die?

Wildlife officials speculate that the fish died and washed up due to "low dissolved oxygen" in the water. They say that when temperatures increase, there isn't enough oxygen in the water for the fish population to breathe. Colder water typically provides more oxygen for our fish friends, and they believe the heat led to their demise.

I can only imagine what it smells like at that beach right now. I bet it's pretty bad. Luckily, crews are cleaning up the beach now, but they have warned beachgoers not to expect it to be pristine any time soon. They also say that there may be even more dead fish under the water, and they have advised visitors not to enter the water until they can get things taken care of. It looks like it's going to be quite the job.

How sad! I feel so bad for the fish!

If you were planning on taking a trip to the beach this week, you might want to rebook your plans. If you're looking for something else to do, I've got a great list of small Texas towns that you might like to visit. You can find it below this article.

Good luck to all of the crew at the Quintana Beach County Park with this fish cleanup! Fingers crossed you guys don't have to deal with anything else like this any time soon.