Heat wave may have caused Fla. fishkill

MIAMI, July 23 (UPI) -- Thousands of dead fish were found in Florida Bay this week, possible victims of the summer heat, Everglades National Park officials say.

A fish kill normally happens nearly every year in the Everglades, The Miami Herald reports, with floating redfish, snook and other species covering about 20 acres between Buoy Key and the coast.

But, not this big, said Dave Hallac, the park's chief of biological resources. "It's just the size of it that was concerning,'' he said.

An investigation is under way.

Because much of the bay between the southern end of the Florida mainland and the Florida Keys is shallow, water conditions can change rapidly with the weather. Cold snaps and heat waves take their toll on fish.