Whirling & Spinning Behaviors Alert NOAA Scientists To Dozens Of Sawfish Deaths In Florida
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is launching what the agency described as an emergency response effort in south Florida after emerging reports of smalltooth sawfish spinning, whirling and displaying other abnormal behaviors.
In a statement released last Wednesday, NOAA said that in addition to the abnormal behaviors, there have been reports of fish deaths in the lower Florida Keys, including more than 28 smalltooth sawfish as of 24 March. The cause of the abnormal behaviors and fish deaths is not known, according to the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC). Ongoing emergency response efforts not only involve coordinating the recovery of smalltooth sawfish carcasses for necropsies, which are animal autopsies, they also encompass collecting and analyzing water samples.
Necropsy results have so far indicated zero signs of a communicable pathogen, the FWC said, adding that the specimens tested negative for bacterial infections. Dissolved oxygen, salinity, pH and temperature also are not suspected to be the causes of the abnormal behavior and deaths.
“If the opportunity presents itself, this would be the first attempt ever to rescue and rehabilitate smalltooth sawfish from the wild,” the NOAA Fisheries’ sawfish recovery coordinator, Adam Brame, said. Brame added: “We’re hopeful for positive outcomes from these rescue attempts, and grateful to our partners for their support as we work to protect this endangered species.
“It’s important to note that active rescue and rehabilitation are not always effective in saving stranded animals. However, it can still give us critical information to learn about the nature of the distress.”
EDIT
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/31/smalltooth-sawfish-south-florida
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