BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. — The mysterious affliction that caused our endangered Smalltooth Sawfish to spin erratically and often die has resurfaced in Florida waters.
FOX 4 METEOROLOGIST ANDREW SHIPLEY HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THIS STORY FOR THE LAST YEAR AND SPOKE WITH DR. MIKE PARSONS, FGCU DIRECTOR OF THE COASTAL WATERSHED INSTITUTE TO FIND OUT IF THIS IS THE START OF ANOTHER MASS DIE OFF.
“There are around 500 in Florida,” said Dr. Parsons. “You lose 50 of them, 10% of the population. If we lost 10% of the people in Florida that is two million people.”
2024 was a devastating year for sawfish in Florida after experts believe the fish were exposed to a neurotoxin from benthic dinoflagellates — a distant cousin of red tide.
“So last winter, we saw lots of them,” said Dr. Parsons. “It was elevated. And we think it was releasing more toxins into the water that was affecting the fish and the sawfish. We are still trying to prove it, but that is our leading hypothesis right now.”
Dr. Parsons has been leading this research since the beginning, and he continues to take monthly trips to the Florida Keys to monitor the algae.
“I think we are better prepared this year than we were last year, and ironically, we are not seeing what we saw last year,” said Dr. Parsons. “So, that gives us a little more confidence that we are not yet dealing with what we were seeing last year.”
Florida Fish and Wildlife have reported six sawfish deaths since December when reports of the odd spinning behaviors began again.
Given the lower levels of the toxic algae this winter, Dr. Parsons says one question he is trying to answer is whether the recent deaths are related to last year's major bloom.
“Was this a big peak exposure, acute exposure, last spring or was it a buildup of chronic,” said Dr. Parsons. “It is almost like smoking cigarettes, for some people if you do that over decades, you will get sick. Or was it just a big dose?”
But for Dr. Parsons, understanding these deaths is key to the recovery of the sawfish.
“The real question is how quickly they can bounce back,” said Dr. Parsons. “I like to use the analogy of a boxer in a boxing ring. Early in the fight they might get knocked down and get right back up. But after a while if you start wearing them down, they are not going to get up as quickly and might stay down. So hopefully, we are not nearing that situation where we don’t have that bounce back.”
