Local boaters discover giant endangered fish

MIAMI (WSVN) -- Some South Florida boaters found a 10-foot-long endangered sawfish floating lifeless in the water and believe another fisherman killed it.

Jeff Hann and his brother Mike have been fishing the South Florida coastline their entire lives but have never seen anything like what they came across on Thursday. "I've never seen one this big," said Jeff.

The Hann brothers were heading back to the Black Point Marina after a day of fishing and noticed the sawfish, also know as a carpenter shark, below the water. "The water was calm, so you can see the bottom clearly. As we passed over it, you can tell there was something big in the water," said Jeff.

Sawfish are endangered and can grow up to 23 feet, and the one the Hann brothers discovered was about half that length.

Mike was the captain of the boat and spends time on the water several times a week. "We are usually fishing for grouper, dolphin, any fish," he said.

It is illegal to catch a sawfish in the U.S., but the one the brothers spotted was already dead.

The brothers called Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officials and asked what they should do with the giant fish. "Us, as well as other researchers, are working on learning as much as we can in protecting the species," said Greg Poulakis of the FWC.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission will study the fish to try and find out what they can learn about the rare fish.

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