The Peace and Caloosahatchee rivers contain some of the nation’s most important nursery habitats for the endangered smalltooth sawfish.
The strange-looking fish, with the hedge trimmer-like "saw" extending out from their heads, rely on that ever-changing mixing zone in the tidally affected rivers where saltwater and freshwater ratios are just right.
Most often, those places are in very shallow water along red mangroves, flats, creeks, and canals.
Sawfish are one of the most threatened groups of marine fishes. Since 1992, the sawfish have been protected in Florida and are currently listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species list the green, smalltooth, and largetooth sawfish as critically endangered, and the dwarf and narrow sawfish as endangered.
Sawfish, members of the stingray family, were once a common sight off Florida's coastline, but they have been unintentionally overfished. Their long saws, called "rostrums" or "rostra,” get tangled easily in fishing line. And the "saw” portion of the fish has become a popular trophy.
Sawfish also produce few young, so every time one is killed their numbers struggle to recover.
Sawfish were once a common sight off Florida's coastline, but they have been unintentionally overfished
Very little is known about sawfish. Scientists at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute have started a research effort to learn more.
They are asking for the public’s help.
“If you catch a sawfish while fishing for other species or happen to see one while you are near the water, please contact us,” the marine researchers wrote on their save the sawtooth website. “This statewide survey provides a means for anglers, boaters, and beachgoers to help biologists learn more about the areas in which sawfish are sighted.”
There are five species of sawfish surviving today. the smalltooth sawfish, which is found in the Atlantic Ocean, the green sawfish, narrow or knifetooth sawfish, and dwarf sawfish, which are found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans, and the largetooth or freshwater sawfish found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans.
To file a report of a sawfish sighting, send an email here or call 800-4sawfish (472-9347).
The scientists ask that people include the date and time of the encounter with a sawfish, its estimated length, the water’s depth, and any other relevant or interesting details.
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by VoLo Foundation, a nonprofit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
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