Thousands of fish wash up onto Freeport beach

Thousands of fish washed up dead at Bryan Beach in Freeport after a suspected red tide event. Thousands of fish washed up dead at Bryan Beach in Freeport after a suspected red tide event. Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Thousands of fish wash up onto Freeport beach 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Freeport officials suspect microscopic algae has caused thousands of small fish to wash up dead onto Bryan Beach in the coastal town yesterday.

State and federal officials are investigating, Freeport Assistant City Manager Gilbert Arispe said Thursday. For now, he's telling beachgoers to avoid the area, a popular fishing location at the mouth of the Brazos River.

The city has not closed the beach, Arispe said. He came upon the fish Wednesday afternoon during his routine inspections -- thousands of shad (a small bait fish) lying on the beach.

"This isn't right," Arispe recalled thinking.

He quickly got on the phone with state and federal authorities, who are testing the waters to see what caused the fish kill.

One possible cause is a "red tide" event. The Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife calls a red tide a "naturally occurring event" in which when microscopic algae multiply because of the right combination of "temperature, salinity, and nutrients," often causing the water to turn reddish.

Arispe said there is no immediate public concern. Red tides typically do not harm humans, though the algae can cause eye and throat irritation, according to the state parks department.