Rare Fish Congregating Off Jupiter

JUPITER, FL – March 9, 2017 – When most people think of Jupiter, Florida, they picture a beautiful ocean haven, popular for sun tanning and sipping tropical drinks in a seaside paradise. However, there is much more beneath the surface, such as Jupiter being a hot spot for people who are studying critically endangered marine species.

For John and Bobbi Dickinson, it’s just another day under the water. You might recognize John Dickinson’s name from his viral video of a Great White shark off of the Jupiter coast in 2015. It circulated the Internet very quickly and caught the attention of news stations, local residents, and researchers. Call it déjà vu, but it is all happening again in 2017. This time it’s the Sawfish, and not just one. John filmed over 10 Sawfish, and says he may have spotted up to 20 of them. And the bonus? They ranged from eight to 12 feet, bigger than usual for any Sawfish sighting. 

For the Dickinson’s, diving is truly a way of life. John and Bobbi met when they spotted each other from separate dive boats, and the rest is history. Between the two of them, they spend five days a week diving. So, its only fitting that they make an important scientific discovery – like one of the largest aggregations of Sawfish ever captured on video – together.

And what’s even better? It runs in the family! John is part owner of Florida Freedivers, along with his son and daughter-in-law, Jonathan and Kelsey. Jonathan and Kelsey own and run the largest freediving education facility and spearfishing showroom in the country. Florida Freedivers just happens to be North Palm Beach’s newest addition, and has cultivated one of the biggest freediving, spearfishing, and scuba diving communities in the Palm Beaches. This passion has led to a lot of big moments for the Dickinson family, including this one. 

According to John, “Sawfish are an interesting species, being a part of both the shark family and the ray family, this fish is not only endangered, but also near extinction. Because the fish has an actual ‘saw,’ it is easily entangled in nets and is quick to become a by-catch of fishermen. This contributed to their rapid decline, but, since the ban of net fishing in Florida 20 years ago, the Sawfish has been making a slow and steady comeback, which means we are getting to see more of a fish that has no imitators. Literally, nothing else exists in the ocean that looks like it.”  This is why John’s discovery has garnered so much attention from scientists and those who study marine sciences. No one has ever seen this many Sawfish of this size in one place before – until now. “We've been seeing them in Jupiter for 10 years, but it has always been random sightings, you know? One or two here or there – but this sighting was well over 10 and that’s just what was captured on video.”

This Sawfish sighting is so important to the diving community because very little is known about the species since there are so few to study. One thing we do know about them: The purpose of the oh-so-intimidating saw for which they are named. John laughs as he says, “The saw actually serves a purpose! This species uses its saw in a fast sweeping motion to cut through fish, then suck them up, similar to a stingray.”

As for their endangered status? Well they are on the incline, but not a rapid one. John states, “Trying to get the species to make a comeback is tough because not a lot is known about them to help them recover. The more there are, the more can get tagged, the more information we can obtain, such as migration patterns and mating habits. For example, we know turtles go back to the same place every time to lay their eggs, but with Sawfish we know none of this because of the lack of tagging.”

So, why have the Sawfish chosen our waters to call home?  According to John, it’s “because of our proximity to the Gulf Stream. We get a lot of species of sharks and rays and turtles here – all marine life really – and the Sawfish is just one of those species that have chosen the waters here off of Jupiter to congregate.” Just another reason to live ‘InJupiter.’ •