Havenworth Coastal Conservation

❗️We must be better and do more to protect our precious Florida natural resources in peril❗️

These toxins affect fish neurologically, causing them to spin and behave erratically. The critically endangered smalltooth sawfish are among the species that have been seen spinning and sawfish mortalities have been documented at unprecedented and alarming levels.

The heat wave may have also changed the algae in the water. "Fish spinning" in the Florida Keys is linked to toxic algae that blooms after periods of environmental stress, such as heat waves that cause coral bleaching which can lead to blooms of seafloor-dwelling algae that produce neurotoxins.

New Study Documents Functional Extinction of Two Critically Endangered Coral Species Following Record Heatwave in Florida | Shedd Aquarium New published research led by Shedd Aquarium and partners has documented the functional extinction of two key, critically endangered reef-building coral species in Florida's Coral Reef, following a ma...

🚨This is not good for Florida🚨 Staghorn and elkhorn corals are now functionally extinct in the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas following the historic 2023 marine heat wave.
www.sheddaquarium.org/about-shedd/...

YouTube video by U.S. Sawfish Recovery RESPECT - RELEASE - REPORT: Guidelines for Interactions with Endangered Sawfish in the United States

"RESPECT-RELEASE-REPORT: Guidelines for Interactions with Endangered Sawfish in the United States" video demonstrates how to safely & legally interact with #sawfish you encounter while diving, snorkeling or boating, or catch while fishing with hook & line or nets. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxOj...

YouTube video by U.S. Sawfish Recovery RESPECT - RELEASE - REPORT: Guidelines for Interactions with Endangered Sawfish in the United States

For #InternationalSawfishDay learn about endangered sawfish in the United States and how to #RespectReleaseReport any sawfish you encounter.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxOj...

Without the Wilds of Southwest Florida, These Endangered Species May Vanish | Conservancy of Southwest Florida By Amber Crooks, Senior Environmental Policy Advisor What do you envision when you think of southwest Florida? Possibly the picturesque beaches or mangrove-lined estuaries that support productive fish...

On the eve of #InternationalSawfishDay, we thank the Conservancy of Southwest Florida for highlighting endangered smalltooth sawfish as one of the species that could forever disappear if the aquatic ecosystems of Florida aren't intact and healthy.

conservancy.org/without-the-...

YouTube video by U.S. Sawfish Recovery RESPECT - RELEASE - REPORT: Guidelines for Interactions with Endangered Sawfish in the United States

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxOj...

A big "thank you" to the St. Pete College Dive Club for hosting me during your recent meeting to talk about endangered sawfish and how divers can safely and legally enjoy their encounter with a sawfish!

Sawfish as the “Canary in the Coal Mine” for the Caloosahatchee River - Calusa Waterkeeper Sawfish as the “Canary in the Coal Mine” for the Caloosahatchee River - Important water quality news from around Southwest Florida and featuring Calusa Waterkeeper's advocacy.

Sawfish as the “Canary in the Coal Mine” for the Caloosahatchee River by Calusa Waterkeeper

calusawaterkeeper.org/news/sawfish...

Seven-foot sawfish returned to Tampa Bay - Bay Soundings Cameras whirred as Tonya Wiley directed the rescue of a seven-foot smalltooth sawfish from a pond off Bishop Harbor. However, saving that animal has been a long time coming for both the endangered spe...

Thank you Bay Soundings for this article about the endangered smalltooth sawfish we rescued in Tampa Bay!

baysoundings.com/seven-foot-s...

An endangered sawfish was trapped in a Tampa Bay pond. Could it be freed? Tonya Wiley first heard about the trapped smalltooth sawfish in mid-June from an angler who had caught the rare species twice in two days. Theanimal, a type of ray about 6 feet long, was ina tidal poo...

www.yahoo.com/news/article...

An endangered sawfish was trapped in a Tampa Bay pond. Could it be freed? After three days of searching, a jagged rostrum breached from below the murky water.

Endangered Sawfish Trapped in Tampa Bay Saved by Scientists

An endangered smalltooth sawfish that had been trapped in a lower Tampa Bay wetland was safely relocated on August 9 thanks to a team effort by researchers and concerned citizens.
www.tampabay.com/news/environ...

And please report all encounters with healthy, sick, injured, or dead sawfish by submitting the form at www.SawfishRecovery.org, calling 844-4-SAWFISH, or emailing sawfish@myfwc.com

Your contribution will be used to fund the ongoing analyses of samples collected during the mortality event of endangered smalltooth sawfish in south Florida. These results will help the U.S. Sawfish Recovery team better understand the causes of this event and inform future management decisions.

Florida Keys’ Mysterious Spinning Fish Event Explained | Changing Seas YouTube video by South Florida PBS

"We're all very nervous about the future of sawfish right now" said Dr. Dean Grubbs with Florida State University Coastal & Marine Laboratory in this new Changing Seas video.
Go to www.sawfishrecovery.org to learn more and make a tax-deductible donation.
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...

If you live in Charlotte County, Florida please ask the Commissioners to reject this re-zoning proposal. For more information see this letter that Shark Advocates International, Sawfish Conservation Society, and Havenworth Coastal Conservation submitted to the Commissioners last week.

‼️URGENT CALL TO ACTION FOR CHARLOTTE COUNTY, FLORIDA RESIDENTS‼️
This Tuesday, May 27, 2025, the Charlotte County Commission will vote on a proposal to re-zone an exceptional portion of the Peace River and a crucial nursery for endangered smalltooth sawfish for high-density commercial development.

Excited to talk about endangered smalltooth sawfish today at our booth at #FMSEA25
#SawfishResearch
#RespectReleaseReport

Satellite map of south west Florida showing hotspots of juvenile smalltooth sawfish abundance as small pixels scattered around inshore coastal bays.

Smalltooth sawfish are beautiful, weird, and endangered. With colleagues at @noaa.gov and @coastalelasmos.bsky.social, our 15-year study revealed habitat preferences and hotspots of juvenile sawfish, suggesting key areas to protect around SW Florida as climate changes. Data access was a key hurdle.

Researchers ‘ready to respond’ as Florida Keys marks 1 year since start of spinning fish phenomenon It’s a somber anniversary in the Florida Keys.

If you see a healthy, sick, injured, or dead sawfish please call 844-4-SAWFISH, email sawfish@myfwc.com, or submit the form at www.SawfishRecovery.org. All reports of this endangered species help us monitor the population and track any new threats.
www.local10.com/news/local/2...

U.S. Sawfish Recovery team member Dr. Dean Grubbs will be giving an online webinar November 7 for Angari Foundation about his research on critically endangered smalltooth #sawfish. Details at www.facebook.com/events/15004...

Happy #InternationalSawfishDay, if you're looking for a way to celebrate consider donating to the U.S. Sawfish Recovery team!

The Sawfish Conservation Society is featured in the latest IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group magazine starting on page 84!
Read the full magazine at issuu.com/iucnsharkspe...

I blocked off this entire week on my calendar to work on a #sawfishscience manuscript that I had to put on hold last fall when other things required my attention.
Instead we have to deal with Hurricane Helene, and I'm thinking this paper is cursed. 😡

Scientists determine what caused sawfish to act strange, die A group of marine scientists may have finally determined what caused dozens of sawfish in Florida waters to exhibit unusual behavior and die off during the last several months.

"Most likely it's algae based neurotoxin, powerful ones, that primarily affect the animals through the gills," said U.S. Sawfish Recovery team member Dr. Dean Grubbs. #sawfish www.fox13news.com/news/scienti...

Ocean Springs man pleads guilty to taking smalltooth sawfish, an endangered species On Thursday, officials announced an Ocean Springs man pled guilty to violating the Endangered Species Act.

A man pled guilty to knowingly violating the #ESA by removing the rostrum of a smalltooth sawfish while on a shrimp boat off the Florida Keys and ONLY got one year of probation. Why do such egregious actions with endangered #sawfish result in such little consequence??
www.wlox.com/2024/09/05/o...

UNF biology tags first sawfish in 16 years of surveying sharks in NE Florida and SE Georgia The UNF Shark Biology Program caught, tagged and released the first sawfish recorded in its 16 years of surveying shark populations in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia.

UNF biology tags first #sawfish in 16 years of surveying sharks in NE Florida and SE Georgia!
www.unf.edu/newsroom/202...