An endangered sawfish was trapped in a Tampa Bay pond. Could it be freed?

Tonya Wiley first heard about the trapped smalltooth sawfish in mid-June from an angler who had caught the rare species twice in two days.

The animal, a type of ray about 6 feet long, was in a tidal pool near the Bishop Harbor boat ramp in Palmetto. The pool snakes for about a quarter-mile and is cushioned by mangroves that provide ample space for the slick animal to hide.

It was unclear how this one became trapped.

It may have grown too big to swim back through the grates that separate open water from the tidal pool. Or, more likely, Hurricane Helene’s storm surge pushed it over Bishop Harbor Road.

Regardless, its rescue was vital.

Sawfish look prehistoric and are named for their most prominent feature: their long, flat rostrum, with spiky scales that look like teeth.

They’re endang