TAMPA, Fla. — Fish have been exhibiting erratic behavior over the last few months by swimming in circles and then dying. Now, officials are seeing a decreased amount of incidents.
Researchers have been trying to figure out why the endangered small-tooth sawfish are exhibiting abnormal behavior and dying in unusual numbers in Florida waters.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission rules out dissolved oxygen, salinity, pH, temperature and red tide as causes of the behavior or death.
Gil McRae, director of the commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, said a decrease in incidents of spinning fish over the past two weeks could be a sign of the end, according to the News Service of Florida.
“Everything is pointing to what is likely a naturally occurring species or multiple species of algae that produce low levels of toxins. These are neurotoxins that would be consistent with the behavioral changes that we've seen in the fish,” McRae said.
There are still a lot of things left to figure out.
Sawfish first started dying in large numbers since the fall. So far, there have been 45 deaths as of Thursday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced an emergency response in March for the endangered animals.
In April, the fourth dead small tooth sawfish was found at Everglades National Park.
If you see any sawfish healthy, sick, injured or dead, you should call 844-472-9347 or email sawfish@fwc.com. You can also report abnormal fish behavior and fish kills to the hotline at 800-636-0511.