this week's massive fish die-off. The causes for the die-off, which affected mainly adult pin fish in Harrington Sound, are still under investigation although Aquarium and Fisheries staff, working along with Bermuda Biological Station personnel, have identified possible culprits for the "tragic but natural event''.

Meanwhile, residents were asked to help in clean-up efforts in a Press release sent out yesterday by Government.

"The public are encouraged to assist in the collection and disposal of dead fish along the shoreline as small quantities are suitable for burial or ordinary trash disposal,'' the release said.

According to officials, a bloom of toxic ocean plants -- popularly known as Red Tide -- which gets into the food chain and can concentrate in levels high enough to kill fish, is the most likely explanation for the more than one thousand fish which floated to the surface of Harrington Sound on Monday.

The fish corpses formed a raft which stretched from Devil's Hole to Shark Hole.

The Press release said the Red Tide may have originated in Canada, being driven to Bermuda by Hurricane Erica.

"On Thursday of last week, quantities of Sargassum Weed were observed drifting in to Harrington Sound, indicating recent storm activity had bought oceanic water closer to Bermuda.

"Heavy rain in August may well have boosted nutrient levels in inshore waters, helping to promote the bloom of this organism as it neared Bermuda's shores.

"We do not know if this is the causative agent, but it is certainly a suspect.'' Fisheries staff are also investigating other possible Red Tide scenarios and looking into other likely causes such as outbreaks of a water-borne virus or bacteria.

"In an effort to track down the cause of the tragic, but natural, event we are sending fish samples away for further analysis,'' the Press release stated. Local Fisheries experts are also keeping an eye on developments overseas. On the Eastern Seaboard this week, die-offs from viral outbreak have also been reported.

According to The Miami Herald, thousands of fish have turned up covered with lesions or coated with a blotchy white slime, seeming emaciated and disoriented.

"Something is weakening these fish,'' said Jan Landsberg, research administrator at the state Department of Environmental Protection Marine Research Institute in St. Petersburg.

Tropical fish kills have been reported as far away as Aruba and Venezuela, Landsberg added.

Florida state officials report no massive kills, but say most of the 30 or 40 scattered incidents involved from a few fish to thousands. The fish belong to 20 or 30 species, such as angelfish, parrot fish and trigger fish.

Scott Hutchinson, a tropical fish collector from Little Torch Key, first noticed the unhealthy fish about three weeks ago.

"It appears to be a white glaze and it wipes out the slime coat, a protective coating fish have,'' he said. Then, the fish develop wounds.

"It just devours the tails, the fins. They just disintegrate,'' he said.

Fish tissues and samples of water, sediment and algae from areas where dead fish have been found are being examined in the DEP lab. Right now, scientists expect the culprit to be a parasite or natural toxin, perhaps poisonous algae.

Bermuda Aquarium Director Richard Winchell said yesterday, the Florida die-off is probably not connected with the dead fish in Bermuda.

"Our fish don't have slime or lesions. In fact, over 99 percent of our dead fish are from one species which is very uncommon with Red Tide events, and just adds to the mystery of it all,'' he said.

GOVERNMENT GVT FISH FSH