- The smalltooth sawfish, a species that has remained largely unchanged for millions of years, experiences unusual behavior and high mortality rates in Florida waters.
- Federal and state wildlife agencies have begun rescue and rehabilitation efforts to investigate the cause of the sawfish’s disappearance.
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced an emergency response for the Florida Keys region, deeming the situation unprecedented.
The endangered blacktooth sawfish, a marine creature that has remained largely unchanged for millions of years, is exhibiting unusual rotational behavior and dying in unusual numbers in Florida waters. Federal and state wildlife agencies have begun efforts to rescue and rehabilitate the sawfish to determine the cause.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced a so-called “emergency response” focused on the Florida Keys starting next week. A NOAA news release said the effort is unprecedented.
“Given the opportunity, this would be the first ever attempt to rescue and recover a sawfish in the wild,” said Adam Blame, NOAA Fisheries’ sawfish recovery coordinator.
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A family of sawfish, rays, skates, and sharks, the sawfish is named for its elongated, flat snout lined with teeth on each side. They can live for decades and 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 found primarily in southwest Florida and the Keys Islands. A closely related species is found off the coast of Australia.
The endangered blacktooth sawfish, a marine creature that has remained largely unchanged for millions of years, is exhibiting unusual rotational behavior and dying in unusual numbers in Florida waters. (Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images)
Since late January, state wildlife officials have recorded what they call an “unnatural mortality event” that affected about 109 sawfish, at least 28 of which died. Abnormal behavior such as fish spinning or circling underwater has been reported. Other species of fish also appear to be affected.
“We think the overall mortality rate may be even higher because sawfish are negatively buoyant and unlikely to float after death,” Blame said.
Authorities have not determined the cause. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported Wednesday that a necropsy of the yarrow did not reveal any problems with pathogens or bacterial infections, low water oxygen levels or contaminants such as chemicals, or toxic red tide. Water quality testing continues.
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 Department of Wildlife Conservation is working with three organizations to restore the protected sawfish. One of them, the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, said in a news release that even the death of a relatively small number of sawfish could have a major impact on the population, which has been listed as endangered since 2003. He said there is.
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Kathryn Flowers, Mort Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Principal Investigator on the Sawfish Issue, said: “We have a quarantine facility ready to house rescued sawfish, and we will continue to monitor them based on specific management and release guidelines. He will be placed under observation by qualified personnel.” “Solving this mystery requires strong cooperation.”
Brehm said the effort relies on tips 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.
In recent years, endangered manatees have also been wiped out in large numbers in Florida waters as pollution wiped out much of their seagrass food source. For two years, state and federal officials fed large amounts of lettuce to manatees that gather outside power plants in the winter, and the population rebounded slightly, with 555 manatees in 2023 compared to 1,100 in 2021. Death was recorded.
