SAWFISHES

Sawfish are shark-like rays, which are most noted for their ‘tooth’-lined rostrum or ‘saw’. Like sharks and other rays, sawfish are cartilaginous (i.e. the skeleton of a sawfish is made of cartilage rather than bone). These fishes inhabit tropical and subtropical waters throughout the world. Some species of sawfish can attain lengths of over 7 m (23 ft).

The sawfish family (Pristidae) is divided into two genera or groups (Anoxypristis and Pristis) and five species, which includes the green, dwarf, largetooth, smallmouth, and narrow sawfish. The five species vary in size, geographic range, and in a few physical features such as dorsal fin location, shape of the caudal (tail fin), and their rostra or saw.

Sawfishes have greatly decreased in number in the last century due in part to habitat modification and mortality from fishing. All species of sawfish have been listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Redlist of Threatened Species and as Schedule I by the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Flora and Fauna (preventing international trade). Additionally, sawfishes are provided protections by international and state legislation in numerous countries.