12 tons of mullet killed in one canal in Southern cold snap

Jake Newby | Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Frigid air brings snow and ice to the South The frigid air that brought snow and ice to the South has ushered in record-breaking low temperatures for New Orleans, Louisiana, as well as other cities in the South. (Jan. 17)

Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version had the wrong first name for Jeffrey Trout.

GULF SHORES, Ala. — The water was barely visible when a man snapped photos at a canal near his home where an estimated 5,000 mullet died from lack of oxygen during the cold snap that began in late December.

The fish, which ranged from 6 to 12 inches in length, were photographed Jan. 11 as temperatures returned to normal in the Gulf Coast community about 35 miles west of Pensacola, Fla.

"It was truly unbelievable," said Jeffrey Trout, who fishes frequently and works at a boat dealership in Pensacola. "I've seen (the canal) freeze over twice in 12 years, and this occurred both times.

"Mullet need air," he said. "That's why they jump out of water."

► Jan. 10: Video shows how alligators survive in a frozen North Carolina pond

► Jan. 5: In Florida, iguanas are freezing and falling out of trees

► Jan. 4: Frigid temperatures 'cold-stun' hundreds of sea turtles in Gulf waters

The city of Gulf Shores paid a contractor almost $10,000 to clean 24,000 pounds of dead mullet from the canal, city spokesman Grant Brown said. The cleanup took four days.

The smell wasn't pretty either.

"Oh, it was horrible. I mean horrible," Trout said. "You didn't want to go outside last week when the temps got back up to 70 degrees. They started to bloat up with the heat, and it was very bad."

Trout said the fish kill was a result of strong winds from the north pushing water out of the canal, making it more shallow. Once the water is shallow and temperatures drop enough to freeze the water, the mullet run out of oxygen.

During the week of New Year's, lows dipped into the 20s most nights and were at freezing or below for seven nights straight, according to Weather Underground.

The mass death of the mullet is bad news for both fishermen and the wildlife in that area.

"It will affect the pelicans and larger fish that eat mullet," Trout said. "And the baby mullet, it will affect the fishing for sure."

After seeing the photo, a representative with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed Trout's analysis, saying he suspected the fish kill occurred because of sudden and prolonged temperature drops.

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