WildEarth Guardians

Monday, July 11, 2011
Feds Declare Largetooth Sawfish an "Endangered" Species

Rare, Prehistoric Fish Victimized by Habitat Loss, Fishing
Contact: John Horning (505) 988-9126 x1153

Washington, DC – The National Marine Fisheries Service will announce tomorrow that it will designate the Atlantic species of largetooth sawfish (Pristis perotteti) as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act. WildEarth Guardians, citing habitat loss and population declines, petitioned to list the species in 2009. The International Union for Conservation of Nature declared the species as “endangered” in 1996 and “critically endangered” in 2000.

“ESA listing will give the largetooth sawfish a fighting chance at survival and provides us one more reminder that overfishing and bycatch are killing our oceans and causing the extinction of many fascinating life forms like the largetooth sawfish,” said John Horning, Executive Director of WildEarth Guardians. “We commend the Fisheries Service for taking this action and we hope that it will help protect the Gulf of Mexico and the many of other waters that sustain this ancient species.”

Largetooth sawfish once lurked in sandy or muddy bottoms in warm, shallow coastal, estuarine, and brackish waters, and in large lakes and rivers from Spain to Angola, and across the Atlantic Ocean in South and Central America and the Gulf of Mexico. The massive fish (specimens have measured 21 feet and 1,300 pounds) epitomizes its prehistoric origins, replete with a large, tapered saw extending from its upper jaw with 14-22 teeth on each side. The species uses its saw for attacking schools of fish, grubbing for benthic organisms and other prey, and for defense.

The best available information indicates that both distribution and abundance of Atlantic largetooth sawfish are significantly reduced from historic levels. Habitat loss (particularly conversion of coastal mangroves), historic fishing and modern fishing practices are primary factors in the species’ decline. Largetooth sawfish have not been found in United States waters for decades, and the fish is extirpated or rare throughout much of its former range. The largest remaining populations may be found in the Amazon River basin in Brazil, where fishers continue to take the species.

”With the Endangered Species Act safety net in place, the public can demand changes in commercial fishing practices and other activities that threaten the sawfish,” added Horning.

Largetooth sawfish range partially overlaps that of smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata). The U.S. population of smalltooth sawfish was listed as “endangered” in 2003.