dead fish found on Brevard County beaches
Dead fish on Brevard County beach
Thousands of dead fish have washed ashore on Brevard County beaches.

The fish were first seen at daybreak on Wednesday in Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach, but have spread further along Brevard County and continue to wash ashore on Thursday.

The fish appear to be American Shad which are typically found offshore except during late winter spawning run into east coast rivers, especially the St. Johns River. A Herring species, Shad typically die after spawning in warm Florida waters, but survive after spawning in colder waters in northern states.

Although onlookers have suspected a bout of red tide as the cause of the fish kill, no other fish species except Shad have washed ashore.