Dead Dolphins Wash Ashore In Florida...01/04/00

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Scientists are trying to learn why dead dolphins are washing up on northwest Florida shores. Over the weekend, three dolphin carcasses a day washed ashore and over the last month, the average has been about one daily. Most were full-grown, had bellies full of fish and many of the females were pregnant, said George Gray, coordinator for a Fort Walton Beach wildlife rescue group. That evidence rules out various sicknesses. Officials suspect the deaths may be related to an outbreak of red tide, but that has not been confirmed pending laboratory tests. Red tide is an algae that in significant concentrations can be deadly to sea life and harmful to humans.