BIG PINE KEY, Fla. ā A marine mystery has researchers searching for answers in the Lower Florida Keys.
Since December, 20 critically endangered smalltooth sawfish have been reported dead, according to the latest numbers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
āThis is a very large species and the size of the sawfish weāre seeing coming inshore and eventually dying,ā said Gil McRae, director of FWCās Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.
And while smalltooth sawfish are the only species reported dead, they are not the only ones seeing an impact.
āThatās not something Iāve ever seen fish do...ever,ā said Gregg Furstenwerth, a resident of Little Torch Key.
More than a dozen species of all sizes from pinfish to grouper have been observed acting erratically, spinning, and distressed.
Itās leaving longtime residents like Furstenwerth, who is also a technical diver, with deep concerns.
āItās disturbing if it keeps going itās the end of an ecosystem as we know it,ā said Furstenwerth.
The event seems to be centered between Cudjoe and Big Pine Key, but residents have reported sightings to Local 10 from Key West to Marathon.
āYou can pretty much see this happening every day,ā said Furstenwerth.
The diver has been diligently documenting the spinning fish since late last year.
āAre you seeing more and more species being impacted?ā asked Local 10 News anchor and environmental advocate Louis Aguirre.
āYes,ā responded Furstenwerth.
At the moment, no one knows whatās behind the strange occurrence.
So far, early testing has ruled out red tide, low oxygen, disease and other pathogens.
āOur current line of inquiry are focusing on potential biotoxins produced by algae in the water ā, FWCās McCrae told Local 10. āRight now, we do not have a smoking gun relative to a particular toxin that may be causing these issues.ā
Aguirre asked McCrae if there are any risks to humans.
āWhat weāre saying is, if you see a fish swimming erratically, if you catch a fish that doesnāt appear to be healthy, itās best to avoid consuming that fishā, he said.
āAs of right now, thereās no indication that thereās a toxin in the water or a toxin in the fish that are commonly consumedā.
Donna Hart, manager of Lower Keys Tackle says that to her knowledge, this has only been documented inland. The longtime Keys resident and host of 104.1 FMās āThis Week in Fishingā radio show stressed that offshore fishing has not been impacted.
āI donāt want people to be afraid to come and enjoy the Florida Keys and get out on the water and go fish and go snorkeling,ā she said. āThereās no impact ā no impact whatsoever beyond our nearshore waters that Iām aware of right now.
Scientists remain baffled while continuing to focus on fish physiology and toxicology.
āThe thing is we donāt know what it is,ā said Dr. Martin Grosell, professor and chair of the University of Miami Rosentiel Schoolās Grosell Lab.
āWe donāt know if this is, you know, just a preamble (or) if this is going to get a lot worse. We donāt know if itās going to spread to other areas.ā
āI really do think we need to get on top of this,ā he added.
Local 10ā²s environmental team is monitoring this story and will air an extended report Wednesday at 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. during Donāt Trash Our Treasure.
If you witness or have witnessed this strange fish behavior, send your videos to DTOT@local10.com.
FWC released a statement Thursday, which you can read below:
āFWC staff are coordinating the recovery of smalltooth sawfish carcasses, which is aided by reports to the sawfish hotline 844-4SAWFISH or sawfish@myfwc.com. Samples from carcasses are being sent to FWCās Fish Health group for analysis and/or distribution to experts elsewhere. Under the Endangered Species Act, it is illegal to catch, harm, harass, or kill an endangered sawfish. It is also unlawful to possess, sell, carry, or transport sawfish or parts of sawfishāsuch as the rostrum. While some fishermen catch sawfish as bycatch, they can follow safe handling and release guidelines to quickly and safely release incidentally captured sawfish.
The FWC has also been documenting reports of abnormal fish behavior (spinning and whirling) in the Lower Keys (e.g. Summerland Key, Big Pine Key, Little and Big Torch Keys). FWC is working with partners and stakeholders to investigate the behavior. At this time, the cause of the abnormal behavior is not known, and efforts to collect and analyze samples are ongoing.
As we continue to respond to this event the FWC holds steadfast to working collaboratively with our conservation partners, stakeholders and the community. Public reports are an essential resource to our investigation into this event. Please report abnormal fish behavior and fish kills to FWCās Fish Kill Hotline at 800-636-0511 or MyFWC.com/ReportFishKill.ā