Yes, the fish kill affected our waters and this is an article from Texas Parks & wildlife for our area: Species Impacted: Initial surveys indicate some mortality among smaller species such as spot, croaker, pinfish, menhaden, mullet, silver perch, and sand trout o the Upper and Lower Coast. Observations also include sheepshead, striped burrfish, Atlantic bumper, cutlassfish, and ladyfish, with minimal numbers of black drum, redfish, and spotted seatrout reported. Larger Gamefish: Few larger gamefish have been observed, except for scattered reports of larger black drum and one red drum found onshore or floating. Tarpon and Snook: Dead tarpon had been noted in the Highland Bayou Diversion Canal (Jan. 12-13) and the lower San Bernard (Jan. 13), before the second freeze. Additionally, snook were reported from areas like Caney Creek and the GIWW near Sargent. Sabine Area: No fish kills were reported in Sabine Lake, according to fisheries sampling and game warden updates. Scavenging: Small baitfish have been seen behind barges, with gulls scavenging, indicating localized impacts. Comparisons to Past Freezes During the 2021 freeze, Texas experienced catastrophic losses, with over 3.8 million fish across 60 species perishing, including significant numbers of spotted seatrout, a cornerstone species for the sportfishing industry. This year’s freeze has not shown similar widespread impact and nowhere near the total number of dead fish. Chris Jensen, head of Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s Kills & Spills Team, emphasized the need for further observation: “We also had two cownose rays wash up on Sea Isle Beach last week. But other than what we’ve reported here there hasn’t been anything major reported with gamefish, he said. For now, the absence of larger-scale game fish kills is a big positive. Update published today by Chester Moore |
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