Galveston fishing report 5-16-15

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What else is going to mar coastal fishing this summer? While having to deal with close to record flood waters pushing through the bays and into the Gulf of Mexico, Tropical Storm Bill did its thing to the middle and upper Texas Coast. Besides repeat occurrences of what we are currently battling, all we would need is a red tide to cap things off.  

While it is difficult to forecast such events, there is one effect of all of the nutrient-filled fresh water entering the Gulf that we know will be detrimental. It is called a “dead zone” and marine biologists are forecasting a much wider expanse of this year’s oxygen-depleted waters offshore.

Steve DiMarco, a Texas A&M scientist who has researched the phenomenon for more than a decade, said the following in a recent article in the San Antonio Express-News:

“When (the dead zone) happens, the coastal waters become stratified, meaning that the lighter freshwater will stay at the surface and cap the saltier, and heavier, ocean water beneath. That is exactly what is going on right now and in the weeks to come, and when this happens, it almost always means many marine organisms, particularly those that live near or at the ocean bottom, can’t get enough oxygen and will die.”

A similar situation in 2007 left dead fish on jetties near Freeport, where the Brazos River enters the Gulf.

Now, the big question is when will our fishing bounce back to the levels of earlier this month?

At this time, we need to see how long the remnants of Tropical Storm Bill last before we can start forecasting an outlook for fishing.