The Science Advances journal recently published a global assessment of the world’s sawfishes facing a critical risk of extinction. Sawfishes have been presumed extinct in more than half of their historical coastal habitat. Scientists have concluded, based on research that sawfishes have extincted in 9 out of the 42 nations where the status of sawfishes was earlier uncertain. The IUCN Shark Specialist Group has prioritized sawfishes for urgent conservation action.
In India, the sawfish has been included in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 as an endangered species demanding conservation of the highest priority.
Know about the Sawfish:
The Sawfish species dates back as early as 100 million years ago, with the modern species dating back to 56 million years ago. Sawfish, characterized by long, toothed snouts (“rostra”) is the largest of the rays. Individuals of some species can grow to more than six meters in length. There are only five identified species of the sawfish, namely: the dwarf sawfish, knifetooth sawfish, smalltooth sawfish, large-tooth sawfish, and green sawfish. The skeleton of Sawfish is made of cartilage. They are very similar to sharks and are often called flat-sharks.
Contemporary threats to Sawfish ecosystem: discerning severe population declines
Once found in the coastal waters and rivers of more than 90 tropical and subtropical countries, all five species of Sawfishes are now classified as Endangered or Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Sawfishes are particularly vulnerable to overexploitation because of low reproductive rates. Fishing is the main threat to sawfish. Their saws (“rostra”) are easily entangled in nets. Destruction of key habitats, particularly mangroves, also poses a threat.
The status of Sawfish across the World:
Sawfish have extincted from 55 out of the 90 nations where they were earlier found. The species is now completely and tragically lost from an area amounting to nearly 60% of their former range. The situation is alarming for sawfishes, across the world. The species has gone extinct from nine nations of the world, namely: China, Iraq, Haiti, Japan, Timor-Leste, El Salvador, Taiwan, Djibouti, and Brunei.
Status of Sawfish in India:
Sawfish is included in the Schedule-I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 enacted to save them from exploitation. The Sawfish has been rarely sighted off the Indian coast in over a decade and as per scientists, they are the most endangered fish species in India. Once common along the Maharashtra coast, all the species of sawfish have declined by more than 80% in the Arabian sea.
The government of India provides for the legal protection of endangered animals against hunting and commercial exploitation under the provisions of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972 which were made more stringent to punish offenders.
It is still possible to restore sawfish to more than 70% of its former range, only if we act now!
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