Most were full-grown, had bellies full of fish and many of the females were pregnant, evidence ruling out various sicknesses, said George Gray, coordinator for a Fort Walton Beach wildlife rescue group. Officials suspect the deaths may be related to an outbreak of red tide, but that has not been confirmed.
Laboratory tests are pending.
Red tide is an alga that in significant concentrations can be deadly to sealife and harmful to humans. Most of the dolphins washed up in Choctawhatchee Bay and its connecting bayous, but a few have turned up dead on Gulf Coast beaches. In late summer and early fall, a red tide outbreak near Fort Walton Beach killed thousands of fish, but no dolphins were affected. Dozens died during a simultaneous outbreak about 50 miles south near Panama City, Florida.