Over the weekend, thousands of dead fish washed up on the Texas Gulf Coast near Houston, astonishing both beachgoers and scientists studying beach sediment. The marine carcasses stretched for miles, covering both the shores and the shallows. The fish were killed by low oxygen levels in the water, resulting from rising summer temperatures, as per a Facebook post by Quintana Beach County Park’s department. Menhaden, a small fish often used for bait, made up most of the dead fish. When the water temperature rises, menhaden find it difficult to receive enough oxygen to survive. The phenomenon mostly happens when a school of menhaden are trapped in the shallows as the water begins to heat, and they suffer from hypoxia. Though the kills and spills team has confirmed that low oxygen levels in the water were the cause of death, the county denied any evidence of chemical release and asked people not to spread misinformation. Waves of dead fish have appeared in the past on the US coast because of algae blooms when toxic bacteria spread rapidly, which occur more frequently and severely due to the climate crisis, according to research from the University of Florida.
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