Endangered Sawfish Found Dead With Saw Cut Off—$20,000 Reward for Info

A critically endangered species of sawfish has been found dead on a beach in Florida's Key West, with its characteristic saw having been cut off.

The smalltooth sawfish was initially reported to officials after it was spotted struggling to swim and having beached itself on a sandbar.

However, when officers from the NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge officer investigated the scene on January 31, they found the fish with its saw removed.

NOAA said in a statement that its OLE started an investigation into the incident and is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information that could help them find out who cut the fish's saw off.

Smalltooth sawfish are one of five species of sawfish, and are native to estuaries around the Atlantic. As the name suggests, the smalltooth sawfish is characterized by its long, flattened snout, or rostrum, which is lined with sharp teeth-like structures on each side. These tooth-like structures give it a saw-like appearance.

The smalltooth sawfish has a stout body covered in small, rough scales, and can grow to lengths of up to 16 feet. They are bottom-dwellers, spending much of their time cruising along the seabed in search of prey. Their strange saw-like rostrum is used primarily for hunting, as they use it to detect and manipulate prey, such as fish and crustaceans, in the soft seabed.

These fish were once commonly seen across the U.S. southeast, but are now only found in small areas of Florida. They are listed as "critically endangered" worldwide by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List and "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act, having been the first marine fish to receive federal protection as an endangered species in 2003.

Their Endangered Species Act protection means that it is against federal law to catch, harm, harass, or kill an endangered sawfish, with possessing, selling, carrying or transporting parts of sawfish—such as the rostrum—also being illegal.

Sawfish have seen significant population declines, primarily caused by habitat loss, overfishing, and accidental capture in fishing gear. Their coastal habitats such as mangroves, estuaries, and shallow coastal waters have seen huge degradation in recent years due to human development, coastal construction, and pollution, which has significantly reduced their suitable habitats.

Smalltooth sawfish are also often caught unintentionally in fishing gear targeting other species, a phenomenon known as bycatch. They are particularly vulnerable to getting entangled in nets due to their large size and saw-like rostrum. Additionally, they have low reproductive rates, making them susceptible to overexploitation.

The fish may have had its rostrum cut off because it is valuable on the black market: sawfish parts, especially the rostrum, have historically been sought after for traditional medicine, curios, and ornamental purposes. Although trade regulations are in place to protect them, illegal trade still persists in some regions.

NOAA continues to hunt for the people responsible for cutting off the fish's rostrum.

"We are offering a reward up to $20,000 for information leading to a criminal conviction or the assessment of a civil penalty," NOAA Fisheries said in the statement. "Tips may be left anonymously, but you must include your name and contact information to be eligible for the reward.

"We are looking for information leading to the: Successful identification and/or successful prosecution for the person(s) responsible and/or arrest, conviction, or civil penalty assessment."

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