Known for their elongated snout ringed with teeth, the smalltooth sawfish, scientifically called Pristis pectinata, is a rather distinctive looking fish. It belongs to the elasmobranch group of fish, which includes sharks, rays and skates. The fish in this branch have skeletons that are composed of cartilage rather than bone. Sawfish are technically a type of ray. However, they have a long body similar to that of a shark. In fact, Smalltooth sawfish grow to be about 18 feet long, with some growing to as large as 25 feet. It uses its namesake ‘saw’ to locate prey in murky water or the sand. The saw then functions as a weapon to kill the prey, which mostly consists of fish, but sometimes crustaceans.
Where are Smalltooth Sawfish found?
Smalltooth sawfish have a rather limited range. They are usually found in the shallow coastal waters with muddy or sandy bottoms. They can tolerate fresh water and can swim upstream in large rivers. At one point in time, the fish were common throughout the Gulf of Mexico, the East Coast, the Northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean. However, it is estimated that the sawfish population has declined by 95 percent. As a result, today, the U.S. sawfish population only resides on the southern tip of Florida.
What are the Threats to the Smalltooth Sawfish?
The biggest reason for the drastic decline in population is their propensity for getting tangled in fishing nets, especially gill nets. As a result, fishermen often kill the sawfish rather than untangling the nets in order to limit the damage to their fishing equipment. Also, as coastal development continues, the habitat of the sawfish is being destroyed as well. Juvenile sawfish prefer shallow areas with heavy vegetation, and this type of habitat is quickly vanishing. Additionally, sawfish have a low rate of population growth, which does not allow them to repopulate faster than they are being killed.
What is Being Done to Save the Smalltooth Sawfish?
Smalltooth sawfish are protected under the Endangered Species Act. More specifically, it is now illegal to catch or otherwise harm a sawfish. As a result, Fishermen who may accidentally catch sawfish while fishing for other species are being educated on how to safely release the sawfish without harming it or getting hurt themselves. Florida, Louisiana and Texas have all enacted laws that prohibit “taking” sawfish. And Florida currently even has a ban on gill nets in state waters. The smalltooth sawfish is listed on the IUCN’s red list as critically endangered and on the verge of extinction.