The U.S. government is ramping up its emergency response to save a unique and endangered fish found off the coast of Florida.
The details are strange. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has received reports of “unusual fish behavior, such as spinning and circling,” affecting about 40 species of fish, as well as reports of fish deaths. announced.
The focus of concern is the species Smalltooth Sawfish, which is part of the ray family and is known for its long, flat snout, which is accentuated by sharp teeth and closely resembles a saw (hence the name). It is listed as an endangered species by NOAA, and the agency says it is “the first marine fish to receive federal protection.” Sawfish can grow up to 16 feet long.
The cause of the strange behavior and death is still unknown.
“It's a mystery,” said Adam Brehm, sawfish recovery coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, part of NOAA. “Our partners are working around the clock to determine the cause of this fish health issue.”
Greg Firstenworth, a Florida Keys diver and underwater photographer who has been documenting this trend, said he first noticed it last year.
“I've never seen fish behave like this in my entire diving career,” Fastenworth said.
NOAA has announced that it will begin an emergency response effort next week to save the sawfish. The agency said this is the first such effort in Florida's history and will include the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and local partners who will help house the rescued fish.
Ripley's Aquarium plans to introduce up to six small-toed sawfish to the facility. A spokesperson said the majority of the company's animal care team will assist in the effort, including transporting the sawfish to the Marine Science Research Center to care for it.
Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium also said in a release that a quarantine facility for the rescued sawfish is ready and they are eager to help.
“Solving this mystery will require strong collaboration,” said Kathryn Flowers, Mort postdoctoral researcher and lead scientist on the effort.
The problem affects many species of fish off the coast of Florida, said Dean Grubbs, associate director of research at Florida State University's Coastal Marine Research Institute.
“It goes all the way from very small prey species like pinfish to things like grouper and some stingrays,” he said.
Brehm said there are several theories about what's going on, but with this type of event it's difficult to come to an answer right away.
“I've heard to some extent that it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack,” he says. “But it's very difficult to know which one it is because there are so many different possibilities.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Wednesday that it has found evidence that rules out several potential causes. The report said the fish did not appear to be suffering from any infectious or bacterial infections, and other factors such as oxygen, salinity and temperature were not suspected to be contributing factors.
The commission's hotline for sawfish sightings has been in place for years, but the number of calls has increased in the last month.
Shea McKeon, head of marine programs at the American Bird Conservancy, said the group is also closely monitoring the fish situation, but has not yet seen a link to the bird deaths. . To help scientists figure out the root cause, the public can record instances of strange fish behavior they see on the water and upload videos and photos to community science sites like iNaturalist.org he said.
Grubbs said the problem appears to have gotten worse since February.
“We've spent the last 15 years studying sawfish, so it's very sad to see these sawfish die,” he said. “And it's hard. It's hard for my students, my graduate students, to see that. It's definitely painful. We want to get to the bottom of it and find a way to recover from this.” Masu.”
