The Harris County Pollution Control and the Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office jumped to investigate after a local reported the sad scene at Pasadena Memorial Park. The verdict was clear: no pollutants were to blame for the fishy fatalities. Instead, the finger points at Houston's sweltering weather, as heat waves tend to negatively affect our gilled friends by depleting oxygen levels in the water.
While this incident might seem alarming, experts are quick to stress that these 'fish kills' are more likely to occur as temperatures start to soar. Texas Parks & Wildlife, who have begun to regularly receive distress calls about fish kills from various regions, believe low dissolved oxygen to potentially be behind the grim gathering of aquatic life in the bayou. According to a statement obtained by KPRC 2, spokesperson Chris Jensen noted, "This may be a low dissolved oxygen event. The fish appear as all the same species of mullet.”
The fallen fish, identified as mullet—a species long part of the human diet—seem to have suffered against this year's unforgiving heat. With no obvious chemical or sewage-type nuisances to name, this aquatic anomaly has the inboxes of local authorities pinging off the hook. Both city and county officials were swift to inspect the area, with Harris County Pollution Control gathering water samples for answers. David Brannon, Pasadena's fire marshal, confirmed that the cause was natural, with no toxic substances found in preliminary assessments, as echoed in a report by the Houston Chronicle.
The Texas Parks & Wildlife encourages the public to reach out directly to their 24-hour Communications Center. While our environmental specialists and local authorities work to pinpoint to fully explain the phenomenon, it may simply be the unavoidable consequence of Houston's infamous summer climate.
