Dead fish on Okaloosa Island
© Michael LedfordDead fish on Okaloosa Island
Michael Ledford walked the beach Saturday morning like he does every morning at 5 a.m. to pick up trash and take photos of the sunrise.

Recently he has been taking photos of dead fish that have washed up onto the beach.

"It's like it happened overnight," Ledford said about Saturday morning's dead fish.

The fish were all mostly small, and there were some pompano mixed in as well, he said.

The Daily News published a story earlier this week addressing the dead fish issue.

Bekah Nelson, spokeswoman for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said in that story that the agency took samples earlier in the week but did not find any blooms.

Some fish kills are the result of natural events.

Fish kills can occur when there is too little oxygen in the water. Environmental factors such as weather patterns, water temperature, depth and quality, amount and type of plant growth, fish community structure, along with the presence of viruses and bacteria can all be triggers.

In Florida, most dissolved oxygen-related fish kills occur in the warmer months from May through September, although it's possible that it can occur in winter.

For more information or to report a possible fish kill, you can contact the FWC Northwest Region at 850-265-3676.