Fragrant dead fish make holiday weekend interesting near coast

Kemah and Seabrook are the most-heavily affected, according to Heather Biggs, a regional biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Her team has been in the area for days now surveying the scene. Kemah and Seabrook are the most-heavily affected, according to Heather Biggs, a regional biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Her team has been in the area for days now surveying the scene. Photo: Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle Photo: Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Fragrant dead fish make holiday weekend interesting near coast 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

Those venturing to the Kemah and Seabrook areas to mark the long Memorial Day holiday were met by thousands upon thousands of small, dead fish in the water nearby.

The fish -- and the stench -- were a hot topic as families came to the area over the past few days.

Kemah and Seabrook are the most-heavily affected, according to Heather Biggs, a regional biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Her team has been in the area for days now surveying the scene.

"There is a possibility of an algae bloom, which can be toxic to the fish," said Biggs. Her department has been performing tests on the water to narrow down what exactly has been killing off the fish for the past few weeks.

A lack of rain is also contributing to the fish kills, as the introduction of rain aids in adding oxygen to the water.

Biggs said the dead fish have been ongoing problem for a few weeks now, but with the increased tourist traffic there's been much more attention. The fish, called shads or Gulf menhaden, are usually used for bait by fishermen looking for bigger prizes.



A link to the recent oil spill in Galveston Bay wasn't found.

"'Fish kills like this are pretty common at this time of year as the water heats up," Biggs said. "I'm 100 percent sure it is not due to the oil spill."

Biggs definitely wouldn't recommend that people fish in the areas where the rotting scaled carcasses have accumulated, due to health concerns.

Sgt. Kara Harrison with Galveston Island Beach Patrol said her department hasn't been affected by the glut of carcasses just yet.



"We haven't had any issues with the dead shad on the shoreline," said Harrison, adding that beach crowds on Monday were a tad smaller than usual, but that that was more thank likely due to the wet weather moving into the area.

Landry's Inc., which owns and operates the nearby Kemah Boardwalk could not be reached for comment on Monday due to the Memorial Day office holiday. A restaurant manager in the area commented that they weren't having any issues related to the fish.

The bay area's crab and bird population are surely rejoicing, though, at their new buffet.