Originally published on Gulf Coast News by Evan Dean on March 30, 2026
Among the places the non-profit is working to protect is Glover Bight. It’s a cove along the Caloosahatchee River, near The Westin Cape Coral Resort.
“In the federal registry, this is known as critical habitat,” Joe Cavanaugh, the waterkeeper, said.
The reason why the area is critical is because of what’s there: the Smalltooth Sawfish.
Once found along the coast of North Carolina down to Texas, now in the U.S., it’s now only off the coast of Florida.
In 2003, the government listed the species as endangered, making it the first marine fish to get that protection.
“They’re endangered to the tune of probably, there’s a few hundred reproductive age females left,” Cavanaugh said.
Glover Bight and nearby Iona Cove are critical because they’re pupping areas, where females give birth. The shallow water and red mangroves are great habitats for sawfish pups.
Researchers have receivers in the area to monitor the sawfish they’ve tagged.
“These two pupping areas are really the last line of defense for the species,” Cavanaugh said. “If we were to lose these two areas, that would have an incredible impact on the recovery of sawfish.”
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