The Sawfish: A Fish with a Saw-like Snout and Its Endangered Status

What is the name of this fish? The first thing that stands out is the saw on its nose. I'm not sure if it's really as hard as a saw, or if it's soft despite its appearance, but it definitely resembles a saw. One more thing, is this fish a ray or a shark? Its broad pectoral fins make it look like a ray, but its dorsal fin looks like a shark's.

This fish is called a 'sawfish'. In other words, it's a ray, not a shark. The saw on its nose is actually the sawfish's teeth, and it's as hard as a saw. Sawfish use this saw to attack animals that harm them or to hunt for prey. The saw of a sawfish is said to be about 1/3 of its body length. Its intimidating appearance makes one worry that it might harm humans, but it's said that as long as you don't attack it first, you won't be attacked.

Sawfish are classified as endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The critically endangered (CR) sawfish has been driven to the brink of extinction due to indiscriminate capture by humans because of its unique appearance. They were often caught for trade of their teeth, fins, etc. For this reason, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) designated the sawfish as a protected species in 2007 and prohibited illegal capture and international trade. However, due to the sawfish's long saw, it is often accidentally caught in fishing nets intended for other fish, a phenomenon known as bycatch.

As you can see on the map above, sawfish inhabit the coastal areas of Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia. In order to prevent overfishing and protect sawfish, Australia has designated protected areas.

The endangerment of sawfish is also related to their habitat. Coastal sawfish are vulnerable to various wastewater flowing from land, spilled oil from ships, etc. It is said that the habitat in Southeast Asia has decreased by about 30% compared to 1980.

The Florida Museum of Natural History is building a sawfish tracking database to protect sawfish. If you happen to spot a sawfish, reporting information about its condition, the time and location of the sighting, etc., to the museum would be a great help to their research.

To prevent the extinction of sawfish, the first step is to refrain from catching them. If you happen to catch a sawfish while fishing, you should release it. We also need to cherish the marine environment to protect the habitats of sawfish and many other marine organisms. Compared to the vast ocean, the wastewater we discharge may seem like a negligible amount, but the harm it causes to the creatures living in that water is never insignificant. I hope you will keep this in mind.