Page 70 - Life In Naples Magazine - November 2015

ROOKERY BAY

A RARE ENCOUNTER

WITH A RARE FISH…
Rby Renée Wilson
ookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and pupping and nursery habitat for juvenile fish. Smalltooth
staff were conducting a nonbreeding bird route survey sawfish forage for fish and crustaceans over mangrove-lined,
recently in the Ten Thousand Islands near Cape shallow muddy or sandy bottom, while preferring the moderate
Romano, and were very excited to observe a 30-inch smalltooth salinity ranges characteristic of the estuary.
sawfish. At this size, the sawfish would be considered “young-
of-the-year” and was most certainly pupped in Reserve waters. Over the past 15 years, Reserve research staff have been
They were able to watch the sawfish from a distance of just a gathering data on smalltooth sawfish caught and tagged in the
few feet as it casually swam in a small mudflat pool in just four Ten Thousand Islands as part of a long-term research program
inches of water, likely attracted by the large number of bait fish assessing juvenile shark status and trends. This information has
that were also observed. proven to be very important for supporting the wider effort to
better understand this species so that we can collectively be able
“This was a rare encounter, and a first observation of a to better manage resources and ensure the continued survival of
smalltooth sawfish in its habitat for me, personally,” said
this rare and ancient fish.
Reserve research coordinator Learn more about shark and
Kevin Cunniff.
sawfish monitoring in the reserve at
Smalltooth sawfish, closely www.rookerybay.org.
related to sharks and rays,
historically inhabited coastal and Rookery Bay National Estuarine
estuarine waters from North Research Reserve protects 110,000
Carolina to Texas. However, acres of coastal lands and waters
as their numbers have been between Naples and Everglades
drastically reduced from habitat National Park. It is managed by
the Department of Environmental
loss and commercial fishing Protection’s Florida Coastal Office
impacts (as by-catch from in cooperation with the National
becoming entangled in fishing Oceanic and Atmospheric
nets), southwest Florida is their Administration, and serves as an
last stronghold. The smalltooth outdoor classroom and laboratory
sawfish was classified as endangered in 2003 under the federal for students and scientists from
Endangered Species Act (ESA) around the world.
and is now fully protected. The
ESA designates smalltooth sawfish
Critical Habitat that includes the
waters of Florida Bay, Rookery
Bay Reserve and the Estero Bay/
Caloosahatchee River/Charlotte
Harbor complex.
According to Cunniff, research
on these fish is in its infancy, and
not a great deal is currently known
about the habits and life history
of this species. Smalltooth sawfish
can grow to lengths of 18 to 25 feet,
attain a weight close to 800 pounds,
and perhaps live for 25 – 30 years.
Reserve waters serve as critically
important habitat for adult fish

70 Life in Naples | November 2015