Mote rescues sawfish, scientists working to determine cause of sickness
SARASOTA, Fla. - An 11-foot long smalltooth sawfish has had quite the journey. The male was rescued from Cudjoe Bay in the Florida Keys, found in distress and swimming in circles on April 5.
For the last week, Mote Marine Laboratory provided round-the-clock observation at an interim holding tank at Mote’s Lower Keys facility.
On Thursday, under the guidance of NOAA and the Florid Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the sawfish was transported by Ripley’s Aquariums to Mote’s quarantine facility in Sarasota. Ripley’s Aquariums Conservation Team monitored the sawfish and water quality conditions throughout the transport to Mote’s facility.
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"It is stabilized, it is swimming in its new facility. It is continuing to be administered with fluids, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories," Dr. Michael P. Crosby, president and CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory, said.
Since last fall, smalltooth sawfish and dozens of other sea animals have been observed spinning in the Florida Keys. Along with erratic behavior, 38 sawfish deaths have been reported.
Dr. Crosby said the cause is still undetermined.
"It could be a toxin, but no toxins have been identified as a smoking gun yet in any fish samples that all the institutions have taken," he said.
That has led to a historic rescue effort for the endangered species.
"Quite frankly, they usually don’t survive, but we are very hopeful in this case because there are some positive steps in the behavior of this sawfish, but it is still in critical condition," said Dr. Crosby.
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As Mote Marine Laboratory provides 24/7 care for the sawfish, they’re also working to collect blood and tissue samples to study.
"We need to really keep our minds open in our investigative approach of what the causative agents are. It may in fact be we may not be able to determine anytime soon what is causing this," said Dr. Crosby.
Mote Marine Laboratory said they are prepared to take in even more sawfish, using their own sources of funding for the care and investigation into the cause of the sickness.
"They are giving round-the-clock care to this smalltooth sawfish and that’s really what it will require to get it out of this condition and help improve its health to the point where we return it to its home environment," said Dr. Crosby.
For more information on the Sawfish Rescue Initiative, click here.
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