No fisherman ever wants to see extensive numbers of floating and submerged dead fish when heading out for a day’s fishing. A fish kill sours any day of fish-catching, but more importantly, it usually means something is very wrong with area water quality. Texas anglers who fish Galveston and Matagorda bays, as well as Florida anglers on both sides of the state, have seen firsthand the destruction of recent fish kills.

A new study by Texas A&M University researchers found Texas to be a hotspot for fish kills. The study noted that Texas ranked second only behind Florida in number of events resulting in more than one million dead fish. Researchers Amanda Thronson and Antonietta Quigg studied the last 55 years of fish kills in the state of Texas. The causes and sources of Texas fish kills are comparable to those Florida anglers have experienced.

In Texas, the most frequent fish-kill victims are Gulf menhaden, striped mullet, pinfish and Atlantic croaker. The largest number of fish-kill events and of fish killed occurred during the warmest months, peaking in August. Like Florida, the leading cause of fish kills was low dissolved oxygen content in the water, stemming from biological and physical factors like harmful algal blooms and warm, summer waters.

Texas and Florida Gulf coastal waters are especially conducive to fish kills, found the study—factors include shallow waters, low flushing rates and high-temperature waters. The authors of the study warn that with population increases in Texas (and Florida) expect enhanced nutrient loading, more severe algal blooms and more fish kills. Read more about the study here: www.springerlink.com/content/4q6jm135t147h541.

FWC Red Tide Grants in Florida

In Florida, fish kills and red tides (or other algal blooms) go hand in hand (notwithstanding the occasional winter freeze). The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) is currently seeking proposals for the Red Tide Control and Mitigation Program. The FWC plans to distribute up to $300,000 in grants for fiscal year 2009-2010 through the program, mostly for exploration of environmentally acceptable techniques or technologies for potential control or mitigation of Florida red tide blooms. As a partner to the FWC, Solutions to Avoid Red Tide (START) will organize a 9-member panel to evaluate and rank applications. The program focuses on blooms of Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism; proposals must be received by 5 p.m. on Dec. 15.