SOUTH PADRE ISLAND -- Thousands of dead fish have been observed off South Padre Island during red tide monitoring.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said game wardens, working about 2 miles offshore of South Padre Island, found “many dead fish.”

A statement Wednesday afternoon said dead fish at Padre Island National Seashore numbered as high as 1,000 in a 15-yard stretch.

TPWD on Tuesday responded to fish kills along South Padre Island that began near Brazos-Santiago Pass, and along the length of Padre Island National Seashore.

Dead fish have been washing ashore in the Bob Hall Pier area. Red tide cells have been found in water samples from Packery Channel and from Corpus Christi Bay at the marina.

The toxic algae bloom can cause temporary breathing trouble, burning eyes and skin irritation in humans.