Thousands of dead fish were found near the Crystal River power plant Monday morning and officials are trying to figure out what killed them.

Off-duty Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers were fishing in the area when they spotted the fish in the discharge area of the power plant, said commission spokeswoman Karen Parker.

Most of them were catfish and sharks, Parker said.

Florida Power's Crystal River nuclear plant is located near the coastline.

An official from the Florida Marine Research Institute lab in Cedar Key came and took water samples, Parker said.

Onlookers also found the fish washing up on the shore and some wanted to take the fish home and eat them, she said. "That's not a real good idea," Parker said. "We don't know what caused the fish kill. Please don't eat these fish."

Fish kills are fairly common, Parker said. At least 20 fish kills were reported statewide in November, according to the Florida Marine Research Institute. Fish kills were reported in Citrus County in July and October.

The most common causes of fish kills are red tide, low oxygen levels in the water and cold water, Parker said.

There were also two reports Monday of a dead manatee in King's Bay, near Crystal River, Parker said. The manatee had apparently been dead for a while and officials don't know if the death is related to the fish kill. Pathologists will determine the cause of death.

Citrus County had six reports of dead manatees from January through September of this year. There were 327 reports of dead manatees statewide during the same time period, according to the Florida Marine Research Institute, including one each in Dixie and Levy counties.

Kathy Ciotola can be reached at 338-3109 or ciotolk@ gvillesun.com.