$25,000 Offered After 6 Sawfishes Were Found Dead In Florida

Wildlife officials and a non-profit group are offering a $25,000 for information about six smalltooth sawfishes found killed in Florida, Local 10 reported. The dead sawfishes and two dead bonnethead sharks were found along a causeway south of Everglades City, which is in Collier County. An Everglades National Park employee reported the incident to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

On Thursday (October 22), NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement said they would pay up to $20,000 for information leading to criminal conviction or civil penalty. The Center for Biological Diversity also put out an additional $5,000 reward. The FWC Wildlife and Research Institute said two of the sawfish were missing their rostra, or saws, while another had its meat removed, leaving only the carcass.

"The loss of these six animals is nearly equivalent to one mother's entire litter," NOAA said. Sawfish are critically endangered and are only found in Southwest Florida waters today, according FWC. They once inhabited coastal waters from the Gulf of Mexico to Texas and Florida, and along the east coast from Florida to North Carolina. Earlier this week, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission also uncovered an illegal trafficking ring, where poachers were selling flying squirrels to Asian buyers.

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