deaths of thousands of fish in Harrington Sound.

Yesterday, more than 1,000 dead fish floated to the surface of Harrington Sound - all but a few of those retrieved were pin-fish, a species which according to Aquarium Director Richard Winchell, "looks a lot like a grunt.'' Although test results have yet to supply a definitive answer, the cause of the die-off is probably due to natural phenomena.

"I can't give you a straightforward simple answer right now,'' Mr. Winchell said yesterday, "we feel fairly certain an increase in one type of algae or another will be found to have caused this.'' Mr. Winchell stressed that Harrington Sound and inshore waters were safe for swimming, and that it is safe to eat fish bought from licensed fishermen.

"However, do not catch or eat dead or dying fish,'' he added.

A joint press release from the Aquarium and Fisheries Department said more than 1,000 dead pin fish, two hog fish, a porgy and an angel fish were recovered from the raft of bodies floating in Harrington Sound between Devil's Hole and Shark Hole.

"Most specimens were too decomposed to provide information, however it is planned to send two freshly dead fish for laboratory analysis,'' the press release read in part.

According to the release, preliminary analysis showed secondary gill infection, causing the fish to suffocate.

"We suspected planktonic algae of some sort initially,'' Mr. Winchell said, "and some people will jump to the conclusion that pollution is to blame, but any comment on possible causes before the test results are in would be pure conjecture.''