Smalltooth Sawfish

Equipment: Olympus PEN E-PL10, 14-42mm zoom lens with a wet wide-angle diopter, AOI Octo housing, two Sea & Sea YS-D3 strobes
Settings: 1/50 sec, f/13, ISO 250
Location: Florida Keys, Florida

Smalltooth sawfish are critically endangered, making them exceedingly rare to encounter on dives in Florida. Some scientists believe sawfish face the greatest extinction risk of any family of marine animals. This vulnerability makes the recent mortality event in the Florida Keys even more upsetting and potentially catastrophic. There have been numerous reports in the Keys and as far north as Miami of various fish species, including smalltooth sawfish, mysteriously spinning in circles until they die.

This news reminded me of a chance encounter I had with the ultra-rare species in the Keys last year. While walking along the beach at sunrise, I was astonished to find a juvenile sawfish in the shallow, murky, ankle-deep water along a mangrove beach. It was a nearly impossible shot to capture with my small wet lens, but I had to make the most of this unique opportunity.

I awkwardly held my camera at the correct angle to avoid draining too much water from my wet lens mount while squatting gently beside the little animal. Its sawlike appendage was sitting near my ankles as I used the dry parts of my shirt to keep the top of the dome free from water spots. I slowly and cautiously crept close enough to get the frame I wanted without disturbing the animal. I was fortunate there were no other beachgoers in the water and that the sawfish seemed relaxed with my presence.

I hope documenting this rare species will increase awareness of the challenges sawfish face. Habitat destruction, overfishing, and entanglement all threaten these animals. With the new mystery of the spinning fish, their future seems even more precarious. I will be forever grateful for that magical rare encounter, and I hope my sawfish friend can live a long, healthy life.