WildEarth Guardians

Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Imperiled Sawfish Species Proposed for Listing Under the Endangered Species Act

Species Threatened by Commercial Fishing and Habitat Loss Need Protection
Contact: Taylor Jones 505-490-5141

Washington, DC In response a petition by WildEarth Guardians, this week the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposed that five species of sawfish be listed as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

“These rare species need our protection,” said Taylor Jones, Endangered Species Advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “Their value as a living part of the ecosystem is far greater than any value their parts might fetch in trade.”

The sawfish’s name refers to its characteristic rostrum, or “saw,” a long, flattened snout lined with teeth on either side. They use the rostrum to locate, stun, and kill prey. Sawfish live close to shore, as they tend to move between marine environments and estuaries where salt and freshwater mix. These large fish are closely related to sharks and rays.

Commercial and recreational fishing pose the biggest threat to sawfish. Sawfish have very high commercial value; their saws, teeth, and fins can fetch up to $1,000 U.S., and markets for sawfish are largely unregulated. Their saws also make them particularly vulnerable to entanglement in nets, and if caught as bycatch, they are unlikely to be released. Continued development, especially near shorelines, and human population growth threaten sawfish habitats, particularly important nursery areas for pups including mangrove forests. Pollution threatens water quality, and dams impact the flow of freshwater into the deltas the sawfish call home.

Few countries have regulations in place to protect sawfish. Listing species under the Endangered Species Act has proven an effective safety mechanism: more than 99 percent of plants and animals listed under the Act persist today. The law is especially important as a bulwark against the current extinction crisis; plants and animals are disappearing at a rate much higher than the natural rate of extinction due to human activities. Scientists estimate that 227 species would have gone extinct if not for ESA listing. Listing species with global distribution can both protect the species domestically, and help focus U.S. resources toward enforcement of international regulation and recovery of the species.