Red tide is a toxic algae that has killed fish and other sea life in the Tampa area since January. Red tide was confirmed off the Taylor County coast last week and suspected in fish kills as far west as Port St. Joe.

There were reports Tuesday of dead fish at St. George Island, Bald Point, Alligator Point and St. Teresa. State wildlife officials said they were collecting water samples from the area to determine whether red tide was to blame.

The dead fish strewn along St. George Island were accompanied by an odor that stung the eyes, nose and throat, island resident Steve Harris said.

"It seems there is a red tide," Harris said. "There is a lot of odor and irritation. And a lot of dead fish."

He said he couldn't tell what species of fish were killed because they apparently had been decomposing for days.

At Alligator Point, Mary Conley said she saw tens of thousands of dead fish including large redfish and other tiny fish.

"There are dead redfish everywhere just scattered all over the beach," she said. "I've never seen anything like it before in my life."

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Tuesday was collecting more water samples from the region, said Jeremy Lake, a spokesman for the agency's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg.

He said researchers weren't sure whether the fish had been killed elsewhere and were carried by currents into the region.

"It's one of those things; we are looking into it and I hope to have better results tomorrow or Thursday to relay back to you," Lake said.

There were thousands of dead fish on St. George Island but not as many as in the past when there was red tide, Harris said. A red tide in 2001 closed Apalachicola Bay to oyster harvesting.