Back to Show
Changing Seas
Mystery of the Spinning Fish
Season 17
Episode 3
Between late 2023 and the spring of 2024 more than 80 species of fish were observed spinning in the Florida Keys. While most were able to recover, a large number of endangered smalltooth sawfish died. A group of multidisciplinary scientists is trying to piece together what happened in the environment to cause this unusual phenomenon.
Support Provided By

Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
New research sheds light on the lives of mysterious creatures of the deep.

Unlock with PBS Passport
26:45
Divers from around the country learn how to map shipwrecks.

26:45
Follow one scientist studying coral in Belize.

Unlock with PBS Passport
27:14
Scientists studying the coastal Everglades make some perplexing discoveries.

Unlock with PBS Passport
27:01
The Cayman Islands are home to the last great reproductive population of grouper.

Unlock with PBS Passport
29:33
Scientists work to identify and link a devastating coral disease to a human pathogen.

Unlock with PBS Passport
27:16
Scientists use satellite tags and DNA forensic tools to track tiger sharks.

Unlock with PBS Passport
26:47
Oceanographers continue to study the long term effects of an oil spill.

Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
A group of scientists tests sea sponges for potential anti-cancer properties.

Unlock with PBS Passport
26:46
Explore the emerging science of coral reef restoration.

26:49
The invasive lionfish is a major threat to biodiversity and a stressed coral reef.

Unlock with PBS Passport
26:48
Examine the important role seagrasses and mangroves play in the ocean’s web of life.