Algae ‘Bloom’ Killing Fish In Brazos From I-10 To Sugar Land; Ocean Bays May Be At Risk

A state “Kills and Spills Team” has been investigating a Brazos River fish kill for the past week, and is concerned that fish in Texas ocean bays could soon be at risk.

Jack Ralph, leader of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s Kills and Spills Team, said fish have been dying in the Brazos at “isolated spots” between Interstate 10 and Sugar Land.

“Initial sampling suggests that the kills have been caused by a bloom of the biotoxic algae, Prymnesium Parvum,” Ralph said.

The problem is not isolated in the Brazos, unfortunately. Ralph said his team also is investigating fish kills and algae blooms in lakes at Possum Kingdom, Granbury, Texoma and Baylor, in the Texas Panhandle.

“As you can tell, this beast is quite active at the moment in Texas,” he added.

In Richmond, the Brazos has taken on an increasingly green hue in the past few days. Dead fish have been observed along the banks of the river east of the U.S. 90A bridge in Richmond, and near the Grand Parkway.

Turkey vultures have moved in and begun roosting along the river in Richmond, feeding on fish carcasses. As many as 200 were observed over the weekend.

Golden algae thrives in fresh water with a relatively high salt content, and during periods of warm, sunny days and cool nights, when it blooms.

Those conditions all are present now in the lower Brazos, wildlife officials say.

Ralph said staff members from the Brazos River Authority have been taking samples from the water near Richmond “in an attempt to locate the head of the bloom and plot its rate of travel.

“This algae has been responsible for sporadic but major fish kills in Scandinavia and the Mediterranean for over 70 years. All of those events have been in coastal areas, or Israeli fish farms,” Ralph said. “As you can imagine, the close proximity of the kill in the Brazos as well as Kingsville to Texas bays and estuaries is of serious concern to us.”