Florida wildlife officials are baffled by the phenomenon of spinning fish. Hundreds of fish including endangered saw fish are thrashing themselves to death with no apparent cause. Experts have found no communicable diseases and water parameters such as toxins, temperature, salinity, and pollution levels are normal. NOAA has declared an emergency response focused on the Florida Keys starting this week. In late January state officials declared a mass mortality event for sawfish
Pristis.s, a prehistoric looking creature related to rays and sharks. These fish normally live extended lives, and their line goes back unchanged for millions of years, but they have been listed as endangered since 2003. Some members of this family can grow up to sixteen feet, and were once found all along the Gulf Coast and south Atlantic coast.
[photo credit: AP]It is not clear if the erratic behaviors are related to the lengthy marine heat wave attributed to global warming. Researchers have discovered that captured spinning fish stop spinning when transferred to clean water. Because of this discovery, scientists will attempt to capture as many sawfish in danger as possible and transfer them to a recovery facility. Such a transfer, while done for manatees, turtles and dolphins, has never been attempted for such a large, predatory fish with a beak full of pointy teeth. NOAA has set up a tip line 844-4Sawfish.
