Mote Marine to house sickened sawfish from Florida Keys: 'The heart of our mission'

SARASOTA, Fla. - Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota has become part of an emergency response effort to save Florida's remaining smalltooth sawfish. 

In early March, Craig Schertzer stood in awe after seeing an endangered sawfish on Big Pine Key in the Florida Keys. But, his amazement quickly turned into concern. 

"At the same time, it was in such distress and there was nothing anybody could do," Schertzer said. 

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The feeling of hopelessness has been felt across the Florida Keys as 109 smalltooth sawfish have been reported showing an odd spinning behavior. So far, 28 of the sawfish have died. 

"It’s a problem. It wasn’t just a one-off thing with a sick fish, this is happening to some of the most gorgeous creatures in the keys, and we hope to get it straight," said Schertzer. 

Scientists with Mote Marine Laboratory have been working with NOAA and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. They’ve collected samples from the sawfish and are monitoring their behavior. 

"The cause of what we are seeing down in the keys right now is unknown," said Dr. Michael Crosby, the president and CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium. "There are a lot of different efforts going on looking at toxicology, looking at water quality, parasites."

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As they work to determine a cause, NOAA and FWC have initiated an emergency response effort called the Sawfish Rescue Initiative. They will work with Havenworth Coastal Conservation, Ripley’s Aquariums, Mote Marine Laboratory and Dynasty Marine Associates, Inc. to rescue sawfish. 

Mote Marine Laboratory, Ripley’s Aquariums and Dynasty Marine Associates, Inc. will house the fish as they are rehabbed back to health.

"Without any clear source of financial support for this effort, we have nevertheless committed Mote resources to what is a significant, very challenging and unprecedented effort and the reason we are doing this is because it is at the heart of our mission," said Dr. Crosby. 

Mote Marine Laboratory has quarantine facilities ready to house the endangered species, with the goal of eventually releasing them back into the wild to ensure the species survives. 

"It's very important that we do make every effort to rescue these iconic species, the last of their kind if you will," said Dr. Crosby. 

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Officials are taking reports of all sawfish observations (healthy, sick, injured or dead) from the public. You can call (844) 472-9347 or email sawfish@myfwc.com.

You can also report abnormal fish behavior and fish kills to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish Kill Hotline at (800) 636-0511 or by visiting MyFWC.com/ReportFishKill.

For more information on Mote Marine’s efforts with the Sawfish Rescue Initiative, visit www.mote.org/sawfish.

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