In June, the beaches of southeast Texas were carpeted in dead fish. As the decomposing bodies lay along the shore, waves of predators picked through them. Soon, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Kills and Spills Team, all that was left were “shredded skeletons”. The devastation was one of several recent mass deaths to cause concern among scientists and environmentalists about the health of fish in rivers and oceans around the world.  Fish die-offs can happen naturally, following extreme weather like droughts or natural blooms of algae. But experts say that by disrupting the ecosystems that typically keep such die-offs in check, humans are making the die-offs worse, disproportionately affecting native fish, destroying habitats, and poisoning water. 

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