I think I saw a Sawfish! Yes, you did see a Sawfish on Sanibel

We get more than our share of rare and exotic creatures on Sanibel.

They fly into us, they cross the bay by swimming over and some probably hitch rides on trucks and other vehicles that transport them to our Island paradise.

Some are welcomed and allowed to stay, some are a danger to our own natives (humans and non humans) and some are so special that we go out of our way to ensure their release and safety.

On this last consideration, we test our case on the giant Sawfish recently reeled in to our shores.

Recently two teenage visitors , Alexander and Jordan Crabb, staying on Sanibel with their family hooked a really big one.  That night they were trying to catch something big, maybe a shark, but what they caught was a 14-foot, 350-pound endangered Sawfish.

"It's insane we had no plan on catching a sawfish," one of the teens said.
Jordan took half a Spanish mackerel out about 75 feet to use as bait.
"We were about to kayak another rod out and we looked over and the other rod was going off," Alexander said.   And thus began one of the best fishermen's tales to hit Sanibel.

The sawfish was hooked, but it was a battle to bring it in.
"We weren't gonna lose that fish, we didn't want to lose it," Alexander said.
They took turns, fighting it and working together for an hour-and-a-half.
"During the fight I remember looking back and there had to be at least 100-150 people. It was insane," Crabb said.

Finally they were able to drag it onto the beach and got a good look at their catch.
"We actually didn't see the saw until we brought it up on the beach it was amazing," Alexander said.
 
The teens knew sawfish are endangered, so they took some photos and measurements, and then let it go. Even though they can't bring the fish home, they're bringing home a pretty great story.
"Definitely the coolest thing I've caught just 'cause it's such a rare fish and it was so big," Alexander said.

Sawfish have been listed as endangered since 2003. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, they can be up to 18 feet long and 700 pounds.