There have been more than 50 sightings of sick or dead sawfish in the Lower Keys since November, according to the Florida Wildlife Commission. Despite ongoing efforts, researchers have yet to determine the cause but are actively testing the animals and collecting samples. #FloridaKeys #sawfish #research
"There are five species of sawfish in the world. That's it. And they're all listed as endangered or critically endangered,” said Dean Grubbs, a Florida State University fish ecologist and a member of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s sawfish recovery team. “So an occurrence like this, where all of a sudden quite a few large animals are dying inexplicably, is of great concern.”
Last month, members of the Grubbs lab traveled to the Florida Keys to look for smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata), in collaboration with Bimini Biological Field Station. This trip was one of many routine sampling trips made by Grubbs lab members multiple times per year to monitor the presence of one of Florida’s Critically Endangered species in the Florida Keys and Everglades National Park.
So in the new study, developmental biologists tagged along with scientists studying bonnethead sharks (Sphyrna tiburo), a small hammerhead species with a relatively giant noggin. As the team scooped the sharks from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and off the U.S. east coast, the biologists retrieved live embryos of all ages. The biologists preserved the embryos for further study using different staining and imaging techniques, piecing together the video above from different specimens.
In 2003, smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) had the unenviable distinction of being the first native marine fish listed under the Endangered Species Act. The classification followed decades of declining populations due to habitat loss, overharvesting and mortality as fisheries bycatch. Now, 20 years later, a 13-foot adult female captured off the coast of Cedar Key, FL suggests the species may be making a slow but spirited comeback.
By Irene Wright Growing up on the Gulf coast of Florida, shark researcher Dean Grubbs has always been fascinated by nature’s ancient animals. “I caught a little sharpnose shark when I was 7 years old, and I thought it was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, and (I) told my parents I was going to be Jacques Cousteau,” he told McClatchy News in a phone interview. “That fascination never changed.”
In 2003, smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) had the unenviable distinction of being the first native marine fish listed under the Endangered Species Act. The classification followed decades of declining populations due to habitat loss, overharvesting and mortality as fisheries bycatch. Now, 20 years later, a 13-foot adult female captured off the coast of Cedar Key, FL suggests the species may be making a slow but spirited comeback.
“I think this is going to potentially be one of the most important estuaries or nurseries for this species on the west coast of Florida as the waters continue to change,” said Andres, who is with the Florida State University Coastal & Marine Laboratory.
Recent FSU graduate, Blake Hamilton (MSc), recently published his second paper from his Master's thesis concerning the use of river and estuarine energy sources by Apalachicola Bay sharks.
Announcing a recent publication in the ‘Fish Movement’ special issue of Environmental Biology of Fishes from Ashley Dawdy, a current PhD student of the Grubbs lab. This publication is a result of Ashley’s undergraduate Honors in the Major thesis, completed here at FSU with former Grubbs lab students Dr. Cheston Peterson and Dr. Bryan Keller!
