Tens of thousands of fish washed ashore on the Texas coast

The view is difficult to establish. Especially for security guards. Several videos circulating on social media and local US media since Friday show tens of thousands of fish washed up on Quintana Beach on the Texas Gulf Coast. Immediately, locals panicked and came forward to post videos on social media. Many scientists have investigated this phenomenon to find out its causes. In a report, they say the high mortality is related to a lack of oxygen in the water.

Due to this, the fish suffocated and died in the hot environment. You should know that the higher the water temperature, the lower the amount of available oxygen. Scientists call this hypoxia, which is enhanced by global warming. “When the water temperature exceeds 21 degrees Celsius, it becomes difficult for the menhaden (Prohibited fish species, author’s note) Must get enough oxygen to survive“, the report says. In fact, the water has risen to 26 degrees Celsius in the last few days. Also, the calm sea and cloudy skies in the area prevent oxygen from penetrating into the water.

He recalled The New York Times , when schools of fish are caught in warm, shallow water, they can act erratically, depleting oxygen levels. “As we see water temperatures rise, this will lead to more such events.“, Katie St. Clair, director of marine life facilities at Texas A&M University in Galveston, told the US daily. Although local officials explained that the site was being cleaned up, thousands of other fish must continue to come ashore.