In February 2025, I attended the Indian River Lagoon Symposium. Every year the symposium aims to present the latest knowledge and research about the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and its management. If you’re interested in learning more about what was presented at the Symposium, I encourage you to read the abstracts of the presentations.
I want to talk with you about a particular species – the smalltooth sawfish – which was discussed in three separate presentations at the IRL Symposium. Sawfish belong to a group of fishes called elasmobranchs. You’re probably most familiar with one particular group of elasmobranchs – sharks. The smalltooth sawfish swim like sharks, but they are, in fact, a type of ray because their gill slits are on the bottom of their bodies, similar to stingrays.
You can watch the three presentations from the IRL Symposium about the smalltooth sawfish on YouTube. Here are the titles for the presentations and timestamps to watch them:
- Big Sawfish in the Southern Indian River Lagoon: What Are They Doing? (10-minute presentation) Starts at 2:28:41
- Evaluating Movement and Distribution Patterns of the Endangered Smalltooth Sawfish in a Recovering Nursery (10-minute presentation) Starts at 3:08:16
- Keep Calling Us: The U.S. Sawfish Recovery Hotline is a Key Tool that Promotes Recovery of the Endangered Smalltooth Sawfish in the Indian River Lagoon (3-minute presentation) Starts at 3:25:42
Report Your Sightings of the Smalltooth Sawfish
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is the primary organization in Florida doing research on the smalltooth sawfish. They have spent decades monitoring and taking biological samples from juveniles in the estuaries of the Caloosahatchee River, Peace River, and Charlotte Harbor. Researchers also tag sawfish, allowing them to document the fish’s movements and see which habitats they use. They collect fin clips of each sawfish that is captured and tagged.
Researchers often find fish to tag from people who report sightings. FWC will try to go out to tag sawfish within a day of a reported sighting.
- FWC asks the public to report sawfish sightings via email at Sawfish@MyFWC.com or by telephone at 844-472-9347 (1-844-4SAWFISH).
- When reporting your sighting, please include the date and time of the encounter, the location (GPS coordinates are helpful), the estimated length of each sawfish sighted, the water depth, and any other relevant details.
- If you have a picture or video of the encounter, please include that as well if you email your sighting.
The Smalltooth Sawfish in Florida
The smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) is one of five species of sawfish found worldwide and the only sawfish species found in Florida’s coastal waters. All sawfish are considered critically endangered. In 2003, NOAA Fisheries listed the U.S. distinct population segment of the smalltooth sawfish as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). It was the first marine fish to receive this federal protection. Under the ESA, it is illegal to catch, harm, harass, or kill a sawfish. The smalltooth sawfish is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). Appendix I of CITES prohibits the trade of a species.
The smalltooth sawfish historically ranged from North Carolina down through the east coast of Florida and from Texas to Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. It was once common along both coasts of Florida. When commercial gill netting was more common, fishers often accidentally caught sawfish. The sawfish’s rostrum (the saw) easily becomes entangled in fishing nets and lines. Today, the smalltooth sawfish is generally only found off the coast of Florida and is most commonly seen in Southwest Florida from Charlotte Harbor to the Florida Keys.
However, several sightings of this fish have been reported in the Indian River Lagoon over the past 10 years (see links below to some news articles about sightings). The first two presentations I linked above discuss the movement of smalltooth sawfish encountered and tagged in the Indian River Lagoon. The second presentation describes how encounter reports of juveniles have increased since 2019. There were only two juvenile reports in 2019 but over 30 reports in 2023. The third presentation encourages the public to report sightings and showed that reports of encounters from Brevard, Indian River, St Lucie, and Martin counties have increased since 2020.
Links to News Articles about Sawfish Sightings in the Indian River Lagoon
Shark survey scientist finds two sawfish in eight days – Apr 18, 2019
Endangered juvenile smalltooth sawfish found in St Lucie River – Nov 19, 2020
What kind of sea monster was caught near the Kennedy Space Center? – Aug 9, 2021
Massive sawfish caught by Brevard County fisherman in Indian River Lagoon – Aug 19, 2021
Hopeful news: Over a dozen endangered sawfish reported in St Lucie River so far this year – Aug 8, 2022
References
General information from FWC on smalltooth sawfish
NOAA Fisheries information about smalltooth sawfish
Sawfish Conservation Society – Smalltooth Sawfish
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