- Fish and Wildlife officials in the Florida Keys have recorded hundreds of incidents where fish literally spin to death.
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has found no signs of a contagious disease. There are no red tide toxins, and there are no problems with oxygen, salinity, pH, or water temperature.
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced a so-called “emergency response” focused on the Florida Keys starting this week.
(news nation) — For scientists, figuring out what causes fish and other marine life around Florida and the Gulf Coast is usually easy: development, pollution, human encroachment, or a combination of the three. But there’s a new mystery that’s killing off fish, especially one of the most endangered species.
Fish and Wildlife officials have recorded hundreds of fish incidents. Literally spin yourself to death. And so far, they don’t know why.
This was announced by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. There are no signs Potential for infectious diseases: There are no red tide toxins, and there are no problems with oxygen, salinity, pH, or water temperature. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced a so-called “emergency response” focused on the Florida Keys starting this week. A NOAA news release said the effort is unprecedented.
From around late January, state wildlife officer They have recorded an “unusual mortality incident” that affected around 109 sawfish, killing at least 28 of them. Abnormal behavior such as fish spinning or circling underwater has been reported. Other species of fish also appear to be affected.
Adam Blame, NOAA Fisheries’ sawfish recovery coordinator, told The Associated Press that because sawfish are negatively buoyant, they are less likely to float after death, and some may worry that overall mortality may be higher. He said he was there.
This fish is a member of the rays, skates, and sharks. Named for its giant chainsaw-like beak, it is on the federal endangered species list. Since 2003.
Sawfish live for decades and can grow very large, some reaching 16 feet in length. Once found in the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the southern Atlantic coast of the United States, their habitat has shrunk and they are now primarily found in southwest Florida and the Keys Islands. A closely related species is found off the coast of Australia.
It’s also unclear whether the deaths and strange behavior are related to the long summer heat wave in Florida waters that experts say is caused by climate change. The overheated water caused other ocean damage, including coral bleaching and the death of other marine species.
The cause of their unusual behavior is currently unknown, but researchers found that when the captured fish were placed in “clean” water, they stopped spinning. So authorities embarked on a never-before-seen attempt to rescue as many sawfish as possible.
“People do sea turtle, dolphin, and manatee rescues all the time, but this has never been done for a 14-foot sawfish,” said Tonya Wiley, Smalltooth Sawfish Recovery Team Leader. he said. Tampa Bay Times. “We’re leading the way here. This is without a doubt the most devastating singular event for sawfish.”
Scientists search for distressed fish in the Florida Keys, capture them, and transport them to recovery facilities. However, how to do that is still being developed.
“We have a quarantine facility ready to house rescued sawfish and they will be kept under observation by qualified personnel based on specific management and release guidelines,” said Postdoctoral Researcher Mort. said Kathryn Flowers, lead researcher on the sawfish problem. “Solving this mystery requires strong cooperation.”
Brehm said the effort relies on information from the public and sightings of dead or suffering sawfish to help rescuers know where to look for them. NOAA’s tip line is 844-4-Sawfish and FWC’s email is sawfish@fwc.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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