Smalltooth Sawfish: The Tragic Mystery of the Spinning Fish and a Memorable Chance Encounter

A juvenile smalltooth sawfish in the shallow waters off of Key Largo, FL.

If you’ve never seen a sawfish while diving, well then you’re just like most divers. These animals are critically endangered and exceedingly rare to encounter in the wild. Their elusiveness has made them a bucket-list species for many divers here in Florida. Unfortunately, the future remains uncertain for this special animal; it has been reported by the US Sawfish Research & Conservation group that sawfish currently face the greatest extinction risk out of any other family of marine animals.

So as you might imagine, it makes the recent mortality events in the Keys even more upsetting and potentially catastrophic for the species. In case you haven't heard, there have been numerous reports of various species of fish - including almost 2 dozen smalltooth sawfish - mysteriously spinning in circles until they die, primarily in the Keys but also now as far north as Miami. 

Sawfish are aptly named for their elongated, saw-like snout that is used for hunting and feeding.

National Geographic cites possible causes such as algal blooms, pollutants, and diseases or parasites. Other environmental factors such as low oxygen and increased water temps have also not been ruled out. Whatever the root cause, to me it is apparent that the byproducts of human activity on the environment continue to erode our natural resources at an alarming and unsustainable rate. 

Seeing the smalltooth sawfish deaths in the news brought me back to a chance encounter I had last year down in the Keys with a juvenile belonging to this very special and ultra-rare species. I was very fortunate to be able to spend some time observing, documenting and photographing this animal. I also was able to share my work with science by immediately reporting the citing to Florida Fish & Wildlife. You can read my full “Behind the Scenes” on the DivePhotoGuide website here: Behind the Shot: Sawfish Split at Dawn (divephotoguide.com).

I was grateful to place 1st in the DivePhotoGuide Master’s Competition in the Over/Under category in 2023 with this image - “Sawfish Sunrise.”

I can’t help but to wonder if this special little fish is still doing ok. As much as I hope for its survival, this world has not been kind to sawfish and immediate action is needed for their protection. We recently hosted Havenworth Costal Conservation for an educational talk in our Scuba Club shop and they shared some resources for those of us that would like to be a part of the solution. Sawfish Recovery | U.S. Sawfish Research & Conservation is a great place to start.

The same sawfish from my award-winning photo, shot the day before in brighter conditions. I returned the following morning at sunrise to get a more interesting split-shot composition.

As divers I feel we have an obligation to advocate for vulnerable marine species whose conservation efforts may not be top of mind for most people. By educating others on our impact on their survival, hopefully we can get more people to stand up and make the necessary changes to protect what we love. Habitat degradation and overfishing are two major contributors to the plight of the sawfish - 2 factors that can be controlled. While much still remains a mystery regarding the spinning fish phenomenon, the best we can do is continue to increase awareness and not lose hope.

Here’s to hoping you get the wonderful chance to see a sawfish in the wild on an upcoming dive here in Florida. We do several dedicated dives to go seek out sawfish throughout the year, please give us a call to inquire if you are interested in joining us on one of these dives.

Safe Diving,
Grace

Wishing you well, my smalltooth sawfish friend. Just keep swimming . . .