International Sawfish Day: Slipping into Extinction
They look so sweet, don’t they? It’s always seemed to me that sawfish look like they’re smiling. I suppose you would be if you were swimming around, enjoying life, and blissfully unaware of your own imminent extinction.
The first and only time I’ve laid my eyes on a sawfish was at The Deep Aquarium in Hull, and from that moment on I was hooked. He had a charming allure and I have an itching need to use anthropomorphism whenever I see elasmobranchs in particular, which was made easy by this fellas clear dominance over his watery kingdom. I mean, he definitely had impressive claspers, which is enough to get any shark or ray scientist excited to be honest.
But I distinctly remember feeling bittersweet in that moment. Green sawfish, albeit all species of sawfish, are on the brink of extinction - was this to be the only time I’d be able to admire one alive? Thankfully there is some exceptional work being undertaken by scientists and conservationists around the world to improve the situation for these guys, and that is where today comes in.
Now in its third year, International Sawfish Day was established in 2017 through a collaboration between the Sawfish Species Survival Plan (SSP) of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) studbook prorgramme alongside research and conservation organisations, like The Deep Aquarium and the Sawfish Conservation Society. The aim of this now annual event is to heighten awareness of these elusive cartilaginous fishes and the threats they face in our global ocean.
What are sawfish?
Sawfish belong to the family Pristidae within the subclass of Chondrichthyes known as Elasmobranchii. What does that mean exactly? They’re in the same family as sharks and rays - a common myth is that sawfish are a family of sharks, when in reality they’re a family of rays.
They are found in warm temperate and tropical coastal waters around the world - think Australasia, Western Africa and the Caribbean - and are instantly recognisable by their rostrum which looks like a long saw. Interestingly, different species of sawfish have different looking rostra and these can differ further depending on sex and location, so no two rostra are the same!
Why are sawfish under threat?
Sawfish are characterised by a long life, slow growth rate, late maturity, and low fecundity. These attributes make them extremely at risk to population pressures. For example, they are particularly vulnerable to overfishing as they only give birth to a small number of pups at a time (low fecundity).
Mainly due to overfishing and entanglement in fishing gear, sawfish numbers are decling rapidly across all species and they have become extirpated (locally extinct) in many areas of their natural range. The future even looks bleak for them in their current strongholds, with not a single sawfish being found on a recent research expedition in Queensland, Australia.
In light of this it comes as no surprise really that the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists all 5 species of sawfish as either endangered (EN) or critically endangered (CR) on their Red List:
As of 2013 all species of sawfish are listed on the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) on Appendix I. This prohibits any commercial trade of this species and they are the only family of elasmobranchs featured on Appendix I.
If you’re interested in reading a more in-depth analysis of the current policy and conservation strategies to save sawfish, I highly recommend this article from the Save Our Seas Foundation.
How can I help?
Sawfishes play an important role within tropical and subtropical estuarine ecosystems. Similar to other top predators, sawfishes are pivotal in culling sick and injured prey species like smaller fishes and crustaceans - they are essentially doctors, assisting in the maintenance of a healthy of the ecosystem. They may also carry out other vital functions currently unknown to science due to the limited research that has been carried out on this family of rays.
Historically, sawfish have also been important as religious and cultural symbols, as well as providing invaluable food and medicinal resources for centuries to societies throughout the globe.
So what can you do to improve their future?
Report your sawfish sightings to the International Sawfish Encounter Database (ISED)
Increase public awareness. The more people that know about the plight of sawfishes, the better. An educated public are more likely to pressure governments to do more to conserve this species. Share on social media sawfish news and don’t forget to use the #IntlSawfishDay hashtag today!
Use your purchasing power to support sustainable seafood practices
Have a rostrum in a private collection? Report it to the Shark Trust UK
Educate yourself. This blog post only provides brief coverage of these magnificent animals and the threats which face them. There’s an abundance of information online if you’d like to further your knowledge - the Save Our Seas Foundation website is a great place to start.
For more information please see the International Sawfish Day website, and don’t forget to check the Sawfish Conservation Society out too. Interested in research? The Sharks and Rays Australia (SARA) is a fantastic place to begin your search.
Happy International Sawfish Day 2019!