Sawfish

{{Short description|Family of fishes}} {{Other uses}} {{Distinguish|sawshark|sawskate}} {{Automatic taxobox | name = Sawfish | fossil_range = {{fossil range/linked|Paleocene|recent|refs=<ref>{{Cite journal|author1=Brian L. Hoffman |author2=Jeffrey S. Jensen |author3=Scott A. Hageman |year=2018 |title=Dental structure of the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) guitarfish (Neoselachii: Batoidea ) ''Myledaphus pustulosus'' from the Hell Creek Formation of Garfield County, Montana |journal=Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science |volume=121 |issue=3–4 |pages=279–296 |doi=10.1660/062.121.0412 |s2cid=92493020 }}</ref>|PS= (see [[#Extinct (fossil) species|article]] for discussion)}} | image = Pristis pristis - Georgia Aquarium Jan 2006.jpg | image2 = Sawfish Pristis zijsron Genova Aquarium.jpg | image2_caption = [[Largetooth sawfish]], ''Pristis pristis'' (above), [[Green sawfish]], ''Pristis zijsron'' (below) | taxon = Pristidae | authority = [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1838 | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision = *''[[Anoxypristis]]'' [[Errol White|White]] & [[J. A. Moy-Thomas|Moy-Thomas]], 1941 *†''[[Propristis]]'' [[Wilhelm Dames|Dames]], 1883 *''[[Pristis]]'' [[Johann Heinrich Linck|Linck]], 1790 }}

'''Sawfish''' are a [[Family (taxonomy)|family]] of very large [[batoidea|rays]] characterized by a long, narrow, flattened [[rostrum (anatomy)|rostrum]], or nose extension, lined with sharp [[transverse plane|transverse]] teeth, arranged in a way that resembles a [[saw]]. They are among the [[List of largest fish|largest fish]], with some species reaching lengths around {{convert|7-7.6|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=LastWhite2016>{{cite book |author1=Last |author1-link=Peter R. Last |author2=White |author3=de Carvalho |author4=Séret |author5=Stehmann |author6=Naylor |title=Rays of the World |year=2016 | publisher=[[CSIRO]] |pages=57–66 |isbn=978-0-643-10914-8}}</ref> They are found worldwide in tropical and [[subtropical]] regions in coastal [[Seawater|marine]] and [[brackish]] [[estuarine]] waters, as well as freshwater rivers and lakes. All species are critically endangered.<ref name=Dulvy2014>{{cite journal |author1=Dulvy |author2=Davidson |author3=Kyne |author4=Simpfendorfer |author5=Harrison |author6=Carlson |author7=Fordham |year=2014 |title=Ghosts of the coast: Global extinction risk and conservation of sawfishes |journal=Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=134–153 |doi=10.1002/aqc.2525|url=https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/37738/6/37738%20Dulvy%20et%20al%202016.pdf |doi-access=free }}</ref>

They should not be confused with [[sawshark]]s (order Pristiophoriformes) or the extinct [[Sclerorhynchoidei|sclerorhynchoids]] (order Rajiformes), which have a similar appearance, or [[swordfish]] (family Xiphiidae), which have a similar name but a very different appearance.<ref name=Wueringer2009>{{cite journal| author1=Wueringer, B.E.|author2=L. Squire Jr.|author3=S.P. Collin | year=2009 | title=The biology of extinct and extant sawfish (Batoidea: Sclerorhynchidae and Pristidae) | journal=Review in Fish Biology and Fisheries | volume=19 |issue=4 | pages=445–464 | doi=10.1007/s11160-009-9112-7 |bibcode=2009RFBF...19..445W |s2cid=3352391}}</ref><ref name=Harrison2014>{{cite book | editor1=Harrison, L.R. |editor2=N.K. Dulvy | title=Sawfish: A Global Strategy for Conservation | url=http://www.cms.int/sites/default/files/document/CMS_Sharks_MOS2_Inf_10.pdf | year=2014 | publisher=IUCN Species Survival Commission's Shark Specialist Group | isbn=978-0-9561063-3-9 }}</ref>

Sawfishes are relatively slow breeders and the females give birth to live young.<ref name=LastWhite2016/> They feed on fish and invertebrates that are detected and captured with the use of their saw.<ref name=SawfishSawUse>{{cite web | author=Wueringer, B. | url=http://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/Rostrum%20use.htm | title=How sawfish use their saw | publisher=Sawfish Conservation Society | access-date=17 November 2017 | archive-date=30 November 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130130723/http://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/Rostrum%20use.htm }}</ref> They are generally harmless to humans, but can inflict serious injuries with the saw when captured and defending themselves.<ref name=FishBaseFamily>{{FishBase family|family=Pristidae|year=2017|month=November}}</ref>

Sawfish have been known and hunted for thousands of years,<ref name=Moore2015>{{cite journal| author=Moore, A.L.B. | year=2015 | title=A review of sawfishes (Pristidae) in the Arabian region: diversity, distribution, and functional extinction of large and historically abundant marine vertebrates | journal=Aquatic Conservation | volume=25 | issue=5 | pages=656–677 | doi=10.1002/aqc.2441 | bibcode=2015ACMFE..25..656M }}</ref> and play an important [[mythological]] and spiritual role in many societies around the world.<ref name=FloridaFWCCCultural>{{cite web | url=http://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/fish/sawfish/cultural-importance/ | title=Cultural Importance of Sawfish | publisher=Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission | access-date=17 November 2017 | archive-date=1 December 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201034146/http://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/fish/sawfish/cultural-importance/ }}</ref>

Once common, sawfish have experienced a drastic decline in recent decades, and the only remaining strongholds are in [[Northern Australia]] and [[Florida]], United States.<ref name=Harrison2014/><ref name=Platt2013>{{cite magazine| author=Platt, J.R. | title=Last Chance for Sawfish? | url=http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/07/02/last-chance-for-sawfish/ | date=2 July 2013 | magazine=Scientific American | access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref> All five species are rated as [[critically endangered]] by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]].<ref name=IUCNFamily>{{Cite web |url=http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/link/5137f030-4d738b54 |publisher=[[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] |title=Pristidae |work=[[IUCN Red List]] |access-date=17 November 2017}}</ref> They are hunted for their fins (to make [[shark fin soup]]) and for the use of other parts, including the teeth and rostrum, in [[traditional medicine]]. They also face [[habitat loss]].<ref name=Harrison2014/> Sawfish have been listed by the [[Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora]]  since 2007, restricting international trade in them and their parts.<ref name=Black2007>{{cite news |first=Richard |last=Black |date=June 11, 2007 |title=Sawfish protection acquires teeth |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6740609.stm}}</ref><ref name=CITESappendix>{{cite web |url=https://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php |title=Appendices I, II and III | publisher=CITES | date=4 October 2017 |access-date=17 November 2017}}</ref> They are protected in Australia, the United States, and several other countries, meaning that sawfish caught by accident have to be released, and violations can be punished with hefty fines.<ref name=Slezak2016>{{cite news | author=Slezak, M. | date=3 August 2016 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/04/queensland-fisherman-caught-selling-bills-of-endangered-sawfish |title=Queensland fisherman caught selling bills of endangered sawfish | newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref><ref name=UofFloridaWhyReport>{{cite web| title=Why Report Sawfish Encounters? | url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/sawfish/why-report | publisher=University of Florida | access-date=17 November 2017 | date=2017-05-16 }}</ref>

== Taxonomy and etymology== The scientific names of the sawfish [[Family (taxonomy)|family]] Pristidae and its [[type genus]] ''[[Pristis]]'' are derived from the {{langx|grc|πρίστης|prístēs|saw, sawyer}}.<ref>{{LSJ|pri/sths|πρίστης|longref}}</ref><ref name=UoFloridaPristis>{{cite web | author1=Sullivan, T. | author2=C. Elenberger | date=April 2012 | title=Largetooth Sawfish | url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/discover/species-profiles/pristis-perotteti/ | publisher=University of Florida | access-date=17 November 2017 | archive-date=5 February 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205091526/https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/pristis-pristis/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Despite their appearance, sawfish are [[Batoidea|rays]] (superorder Batoidea). The sawfish family has traditionally been considered the sole living member of the [[Order (biology)|order]] Pristiformes, but recent authorities have generally subsumed it into [[Rhinopristiformes]], an order that now includes the sawfish family, as well as families containing [[guitarfish]], [[wedgefish]], [[Trygonorrhinidae|banjo rays]], and the like.<ref>{{cite book| author1=Naylor, G.J.P.|author2=Caira, J.N.|author3=Jensen, K.|author4=Rosana, K.A.M.|author5=Straube, N.|author6=Lakner, C. | year=2012 |chapter=Elasmobranch Phylogeny: A Mitochondrial Estimate Based on 595 Species | editor1=Carrier, J.C.|editor2=Musick, J.A.|editor3=Heithaus, M.R. |title=Biology of Sharks and Their Relatives | edition=2 | publisher=CRC Press |location=Boca Raton, Florida | pages=31–56}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| author1=Last, P.R.|author2=Séret, B.|author3=Naylor, G.J.P. | year=2016 | title=A new species of guitarfish, Rhinobatos borneensis sp. nov. with a redefinition of the family-level classification in the order Rhinopristiformes (Chondrichthyes: Batoidea) | journal=Zootaxa | volume=4117 | issue=4 | pages=451–475 | doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4117.4.1|pmid=27395187}}</ref> Sawfish quite resemble guitarfish, except that the latter group lacks a saw, and their [[Most recent common ancestor|common ancestor]] likely was similar to guitarfish.<ref name=SawfishSawUse/>

===Living species=== The species level [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]] in the sawfish family has historically caused considerable confusion and was often described as chaotic.<ref name=Moore2015/> Only in 2013 was it firmly established that the five living species are placed in two [[genera]].<ref name=Harrison2014/><ref name=Faria2013>{{Cite journal |last1=Faria |first1=V. V. |last2=McDavitt |first2=M. T. |last3=Charvet |first3=P. |last4=Wiley |first4=T. R. |last5=Simpfendorfer |first5=C. A. |last6=Naylor |first6=G. J. P. |year=2013 |title=Species delineation and global population structure of Critically Endangered sawfishes (Pristidae) |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=167 |pages=136–164 |doi= 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00872.x |doi-access=free }}</ref>

''[[Anoxypristis]]'' contains a single living species that historically was included in ''Pristis'', but the two genera are [[Morphology (biology)|morphologically]] and [[genetically]] highly distinct.<ref name=Wueringer2009/><ref>{{cite journal| author1=Naylor, G.J.P.|author2=J.N. Caira|author3=K. Jensen|author4=K.A.M. Rosana|author5=W.T. White|author6=P.R. Last | year=2012 | title=A DNA sequence-based approach to the identification of shark and ray species and its implications for global elasmobranch diversity and parasitology | journal=Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History | volume=367 | pages=1–262 | doi=10.1206/754.1 |hdl=2246/6183|s2cid=83264478|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/195492 }}</ref> Today ''Pristis'' contains four living, valid species divided into two [[Species complex|species groups]]. Three species are in the smalltooth group, and there is only a single in the largetooth group.<ref name=Harrison2014/> Three poorly defined species were formerly recognized in the largetooth group, but in 2013 it was shown that ''P. pristis'', ''P. microdon'' and ''P. perotteti'' do not differ in morphology or genetics.<ref name=Faria2013/> As a consequence, recent authorities treat ''P. microdon'' and ''P. perotteti'' as [[junior synonym]]s of ''P. pristis''.<ref name=Dulvy2014/><ref name=IUCNpristis>{{cite iucn |author=Espinoza, M. |author2=Bonfil-Sanders, R. |author3=Carlson, J. |author4=Charvet, P. |author5=Chevis, M. |author6=Dulvy, N.K. |author7=Everett, B. |author8=Faria, V. |author9=Ferretti, F. |author10=Fordham, S. |author11=Grant, M.I. |author12=Haque, A.B. |author13=Harry, A.V. |author14=Jabado, R.W. |author15=Jones, G.C.A. |author16=Kelez, S. |author17=Lear, K.O. |author18=Morgan, D.L. |author19=Phillips, N.M. |author20=Wueringer, B.E. |year=2022 |title=''Pristis pristis'' |volume=2022 |article-number=e.T18584848A58336780 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T18584848A58336780.en |access-date=17 October 2023}}</ref><ref name=DepEnvPristis>{{cite web| author=Department of the Environment | date=2017 | title=Pristis pristis — Freshwater Sawfish, Largetooth Sawfish, River Sawfish, Leichhardt's Sawfish, Northern Sawfish | url=http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=66182 | publisher=[[Department of the Environment and Energy]] | access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book| author1=Last, P.R.|author1-link=Peter R. Last|author2=De Carvalho, M.R.|author3=Corrigan, S.|author4=Naylor, G.J.P.|author5=Séret, B.|author6=Yang, L. | year=2016 | chapter=The Rays of the World project - an explanation of nomenclatural decisions | pages=1–10 | editor1=Last, P.R.|editor2=Yearsley, G.R. | title=Rays of the World: Supplementary Information | publisher=CSIRO Special Publication | isbn=978-1-4863-0801-9 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| author1=Eschmeyer, W.N.|author2=R. Fricke|author3=R. van der Laan | date=17 November 2017 | title=Catalog of Fishes | url=http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp | publisher=[[California Academy of Sciences]] | access-date=11 November 2017 }}</ref><ref name=PollerspockStraube>{{cite web| author1=Pollerspöck, J.|author2=N. Straube | title=Pristis pristis | url=http://shark-references.com/species/view/Pristis-pristis | publisher=shark-references.com | access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" |- ! colspan=2 | Genus and species group ! Image ! Scientific name ! Common names<ref name=IUCNFamily/><ref name=DepEnvPristis/> (most frequently used listed first)<ref name=Harrison2014/> ! [[IUCN|IUCN status]]<ref name=IUCNFamily/> ! Distribution<ref name=IUCNFamily/> ! Main habitats<ref name=IUCNFamily/> |- ! colspan=2 style="background:rgb(110,110,170)" | ''[[Anoxypristis|Anoxypristis]]'' | [[File:AnoxypristisCuspidataCSIRO.jpg|140px]] | align=center | ''[[Anoxypristis cuspidata]]'' ([[John Latham (ornithologist)|Latham]], 1794) | align=center | [[Narrow sawfish]], knifetooth sawfish, pointed sawfish | [[File:CR IUCN 3 1.svg]] Critically endangered | align="center" | [[Indo-Pacific]] | Marine waters, estuaries |- ! rowspan=6 style="background:rgb(153,78,150)" | ''[[Pristis|Pristis]]'' ! rowspan=3 style="background:rgb(210,160,210)" | Smalltooths | [[File:Pristis clavata (Dwarf sawfish) in Aqua park.png|140px]] | align=center | ''[[Pristis clavata]]'' [[Samuel Garman|Garman]], 1906 | align=center | [[Dwarf sawfish]], Queensland sawfish | [[File:CR IUCN 3 1.svg]] Critically endangered | align="center" | Indo-Pacific | Marine waters, estuaries |- | [[File:Pristis pectinata SI2.jpg|140px]] | align=center | ''[[Pristis pectinata]]'' [[John Latham (ornithologist)|Latham]], 1794 | align=center | [[Smalltooth sawfish]] | [[File:CR IUCN 3 1.svg]] Critically endangered | align="center" | Atlantic | Marine waters, estuaries |- | [[File:Aquarium Genoa 01.JPG|140px]] | align=center | ''[[Pristis zijsron]]'' [[Pieter Bleeker|Bleeker]], 1851 | align=center | [[Green sawfish]], longcomb sawfish, narrowsnout sawfish, olive sawfish | [[File:CR IUCN 3 1.svg]] Critically endangered | align="center" | Indo-Pacific | Marine waters, estuaries |- ! rowspan=1 style="background:rgb(220,180,220)" | Largetooths | [[File:2009 Pristis microdon2.JPG|140px]] | align=center | ''[[Pristis pristis]]'' ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]) | align=center | [[Largetooth sawfish]], common sawfish, wide sawfish, freshwater sawfish, river sawfish, Leichhardt's sawfish, northern sawfish | [[File:CR IUCN 3 1.svg]] Critically endangered | align="center" | Atlantic, Indo-Pacific, East Pacific | Marine waters, estuaries, rivers, lakes |}[[File:Pristidae - Pristis lathami.JPG|thumb|Extinct sawfish are often only known from their [[Rostrum (anatomy)|rostral]] teeth, here from the [[Eocene]] species ''[[Pristis lathami]]''.<ref name=Cicimurri2009>{{cite journal| author=Cicimurri, D.J. | year=2009 | title=A Partial Rostrum of the Sawfish Pristis lathami Galeotti, 1837, from the Eocene of South Carolina | journal=Journal of Paleontology | volume=81 | issue=3 | pages=597–601 | doi=10.1666/05086.1 | s2cid=130683481 }}</ref>]]

===Extinct (fossil) species=== [[File:Die stämme der wirbeltiere (1919) (20937469632) (cropped).jpg|thumb|†''[[Propristis|Propristis schweinfurthi]]'']] In addition to the living sawfish, there are several [[extinct]] species that only are known from [[fossil]] remains found around the world in all continents.<ref name=FossilworksFamily/> ''[[Peyeria]]'' from the [[Cenomanian]] age ([[Late Cretaceous]]) was once considered as the oldest known pristid,<ref name=Wueringer2009/> though it may represent a [[Wedgefish|rhinid]] rather than a sawfish,<ref name=Seitz2014>{{cite web| author=Seitz, J.C. | title=A Brief Review of the Fossil Record of the Pristids and Sclerorhynchids | url=http://www.fossilsawfish.com/review-of-fossil-record.html | date=2014 | publisher=Fossil Sawfish | access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref> or probably a junior synonym of the [[Sclerorhynchoidei|sclerorhynchoid]] ''[[Onchopristis]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sternes |first1=P.C. |last2=Shimada |first2=K. |date=2019 |title= Paleobiology of the Late Cretaceous sclerorhynchid sawfish, ''Ischyrhiza mira'' (Elasmobranchii: Rajiformes), from North America based on new anatomical data |journal=Historical Biology |volume=31 |issue=10 |pages=1323–1340 |doi=10.1080/08912963.2018.1452205|s2cid=90291295 }}</ref> Indisputable sawfish genera emerged in the [[Cenozoic]] age about 60 million years ago, relatively soon after the [[Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event|Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction]]. Among these are ''[[Propristis]]'', a monotypic genus only known from fossil remains, as well as several extinct ''Pristis'' species and several extinct ''Anoxypristis'' species (both of these genera are also represented by living species).<ref name=Wueringer2009/><ref name=FossilSawfishIntro>{{cite web| title=Introduction | url=http://www.fossilsawfish.com/index.html | publisher=Fossil Sawfish | access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref> Historically, [[palaeontologist]]s have not separated ''Anoxypristis'' from ''Pristis''.<ref name=Wueringer2009/> In contrast, several additional extinct genera are occasionally listed, including ''[[Dalpiazia]]'', ''[[Onchopristis]]'', ''Oxypristis'',<ref name=FossilworksFamily>{{cite web| title=Family Pristidae Bonaparte 1838 (sawfish) | url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=63612 | publisher=[[Fossilworks]] | access-date=17 December 2021 }}</ref> and ''Mesopristis'',<ref name=FossilSawfishIntro/> but recent authorities generally include the first two genera within [[Sclerorhynchoidei]] and the last two are [[Synonym (taxonomy)|synonyms]] of ''Anoxypristis''.<ref name=Wueringer2009/><ref>{{cite book| author=Cappetta, H. | year=2012 |chapter=Chondrichthyes — Mesozoic and Cenozoic Elasmobranchii: Teeth | editor=Schultze, H.P. |title=Handbook of Paleoichthyology | publisher=Verlag F. Pfeil | volume=3E | isbn=978-3-89937-148-2 }}</ref>

The extinct order [[Sclerorhynchoidei]] had long [[Rostrum (anatomy)#Vertebrates|rostra]] with large [[Fish scale#Placoid scales|denticles]] similar to sawfishes and [[Sawshark|sawsharks]]. This feature was [[convergent evolution|convergently evolved]], recently proposed as 'pristification',<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Greenfield|first1=T.|year=2024|title=Pristification: Defining the convergent evolution of saws in sharks and rays (Chondrichthyes, Neoselachii)|journal=Mesozoic|volume=1|issue=2|pages=121–124|doi=10.11646/MESOZOIC.1.2.3|doi-access=free}}</ref> and their closest living relatives are actually [[Skate (fish)|skates]].<ref name="Villalobos-Segura et al. 2019">{{cite journal |last1=Villalobos-Segura |first1=E. |last2=Underwood |first2=C.J. |last3=Ward |first3=D.J. |last4=Claeson |first4=K.M. |date=2019 |title=The first three-dimensional fossils of Cretaceous sclerorhynchid sawfish: ''Asflapristis cristadentis'' gen. et sp. nov., and implications for the phylogenetic relations of the Sclerorhynchoidei (Chondrichthyes) |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |volume=17 |issue=21 |pages=1847–1870 |doi=10.1080/14772019.2019.1578832|bibcode=2019JSPal..17.1847V |s2cid=145940997 |url=https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/27155/3/27155.pdf }}</ref><ref name="Villalobos-Segura et al. 2021a">{{cite journal |last1=Villalobos-Segura |first1=E. |last2=Underwood |first2=C.J. |last3=Ward |first3=D.J. |date=2021a |title=The first skeletal record of the enigmatic Cretaceous sawfish genus ''Ptychotrygon'' (Chondrichthyes, Batoidea) from the Turonian of Morocco |journal=Papers in Palaeontology |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=353–376 |doi=10.1002/spp2.1287|bibcode=2021PPal....7..353V |s2cid=210302939 |url=https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/27927/3/27927.pdf }}</ref><ref name="Villalobos-Segura et al. 2021b">{{cite journal |last1=Villalobos-Segura |first1=E. |last2=Kriwet |first2=J. |last3=Vullo |first3=R. |last4=Stumpf |first4=S. |last5=Ward |first5=D.J. |last6=Underwood |first6=C.J. |date=2021b |title=The skeletal remains of the euryhaline sclerorhynchoid †''Onchopristis'' (Elasmobranchii) from the 'Mid'-Cretaceous and their palaeontological implications |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=193 |issue=2 |pages=746–771 |doi=10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa166 |issn=0024-4082 |url=https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/40913/1/Onchopristis%20ver%201.pdf }}</ref> While they are often called "sawfishes", the more accurate [[common name]] for sclerorhynchoids is "sawskates".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Greenfield |first1=T. |date=2021 |title= Corrections to the nomenclature of sawskates (Rajiformes, Sclerorhynchoidei) |journal=Bionomina |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=39–41 |doi=10.11646/bionomina.22.1.3|s2cid=239067365 }}</ref>

== Appearance and anatomy == {{multiple image | direction = vertical | width = 320 | image1 = Anoxypristis cuspidata rostro.jpg | image2 = Pristis zijsron rostr.png | caption2 = [[Green sawfish]] (''Pristis zijsron'') | image3 = Pristis pectinata rostrum2 (cropped).jpg | image4 =Rostrum of Pristis clavata.png | image5 = Hal - Pristis microdon - 1 (cropped).jpg | caption1 = [[Narrow sawfish]] (''Anoxypristis cuspidata'') | caption3 = [[Smalltooth sawfish]] (''Pristis pectinata'') | caption4 = [[Dwarf sawfish]] (''Pristis clavata'') | caption5 = [[Largetooth sawfish]] (''Pristis pristis'') | footer = Notice difference in tooth shape and absence/presence of teeth on basal quarter of [[Rostrum (anatomy)|rostrum]] (each red or black section on ruler is {{convert|10|cm|in|abbr=on|disp=or}}) }}

Sawfish are dull brownish, greyish, greenish or yellowish above,<ref name=LastWhite2016/> but the [[Tints and shades|shade]] varies and dark individuals can be almost black.<ref name=Kells2015>{{cite book| author1=Kells, V.|author2= K. Carpenter | title=A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes from Texas to Maine | year=2015 | publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press | page=82 | isbn=978-0-8018-9838-9 }}</ref> The underside is pale,<ref name=Kells2015/> and typically whitish.<ref name=LastWhite2016/>

===Saw=== The most distinctive feature of sawfish is their saw-like [[Rostrum (anatomy)|rostrum]] with a row of whitish teeth (rostral teeth) on either side of it. The rostrum is an extension of the [[chondrocranium]] ("skull"),<ref name=Seitz2014/> made of [[cartilage]] and covered in skin.<ref name=GovWesternAustralia>{{cite web | url=http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Documents/recreational_fishing/fact_sheets/fact_sheet_sawfish.pdf | title=Fisheries Fact Sheet — Sawfish| date=April 2011 | publisher=Government of Western Australia, Fisheries Department |access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref> The rostrum length is typically about one quarter to one third of the total length of the fish,<ref name=SawfishSawUse/> but it varies depending on species, and sometimes with age and sex.<ref name=Wueringer2009/> The rostral teeth are not teeth in the traditional sense, but heavily modified [[dermal denticle]]s.<ref name=Welten2015>{{cite journal| author1=Welten, M.|author2=M.M. Smith|author3=C. Underwood|author4=Z. Johanson | date=September 2015 | title=Evolutionary origins and development of saw-teeth on the sawfish and sawshark rostrum (Elasmobranchii; Chondrichthyes) | journal= Royal Society Open Science|volume=2|issue=9|article-number=150189| doi=10.1098/rsos.150189 | doi-access=free|pmid=26473044|pmc=4593678|bibcode=2015RSOS....250189W}}</ref> The rostral teeth grow in size throughout the life of the sawfish and a tooth is not replaced if it is lost.<ref name=Welten2015/><ref name=Slaughter1968>{{cite journal| last1=Slaughter | first1=Bob H. | last2=Springer | first2=Stewart | year=1968 | title=Replacement of Rostral Teeth in Sawfishes and Sawsharks | journal=Copeia | volume=1968 | issue=3 | pages=499–506 | jstor=1442018 | doi=10.2307/1442018 }}</ref> In ''Pristis'' sawfish, the teeth are found along the entire length of the rostrum, but, in adult ''Anoxypristis'', there are no teeth on the basal one-quarter of the rostrum (about one-sixth in juvenile ''Anoxypristis'').<ref name=ESA2014>{{cite web | author=Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2014/12/12/2014-29201/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-final-endangered-listing-of-five-species-of-sawfish |title=Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Endangered Listing of Five Species of Sawfish Under the Endangered Species Act | publisher=Federal Register | pages=73977–74005 | date=12 December 2014 | access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref><ref name=Allen1999>{{cite book| author=Allen, G. | title=Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South East Asia | year=1999 | publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press | edition=3 | pages=44–45 | isbn=978-0-7309-8363-7 }}</ref> The number of teeth varies depending on the species and can range from 14 to 37 on each side of the rostrum.<ref name=LastWhite2016/><ref name=SawfishID>{{cite web | url=http://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/Sawfish%20Identification.htm | title=Sawfish Identification | publisher=Sawfish Conservation Society | access-date=17 November 2017 | archive-date=19 October 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019002654/http://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/Sawfish%20Identification.htm }}</ref>{{refn|group=note|Correct rostral tooth count refers to visible teeth and [[Dental alveolus|alveoli]] ("tooth sockets") from lost teeth.<ref name=Wueringer2009/>}} It is common for a sawfish to have slightly different tooth counts on each side of its rostrum. (The difference typically does not surpass three.)<ref name=Wiley2008>{{cite journal|author1=Wiley |author2=Simpfendorfer |author3=Faria |author4=McDavitt | year=2008 | title=Range, sexual dimorphism and bilateral asymmetry of rostral tooth counts in the smalltooth sawfish Pristis pectinata Latham (Chondrichthyes: Pristidae) of the southeastern United States | journal=Zootaxa | volume=1810 | issue=2 | pages=51–59 | jstor=24336076 | doi=10.2307/1442018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| last1=Schwartz | first1=F. | year=2003 | title=Bilateral asymmetry in the rostrum of the smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata (Pristiformes: Pristidae) | journal=Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science | volume=19 | issue=2 | pages=41–47 | jstor=24336076 | doi=10.2307/1442018 }}</ref> In some species, females on average have fewer teeth than males.<ref name=Wueringer2009/><ref name=Wiley2008/> Each tooth is peg-like in ''Pristis'' sawfish, and flattened and broadly triangular in ''Anoxypristis''.<ref name=LastWhite2016/> A combination of features, including fins and rostrum, are typically used to separate the species,<ref name=LastWhite2016/><ref name=SawfishID/> but it is possible to do it by the rostrum alone.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Whitty |author2=Phillips |author3=Thorburn |author4=Simpfendorfer |author5=Field |author6=Peverell |author7=Morgan | year=2013 | title=Utility of rostra in the identification of Australian sawfishes (Chondrichthyes: Pristidae) | journal=Aquatic Conservation | volume=24 | issue=6 | pages=791–804 | doi=10.1002/aqc.2398 }}</ref>

===Head, body and fins=== [[File:2009 Pristis microdon1.JPG|thumb|The whitish underside of a [[largetooth sawfish]] showing its nostrils (near the base of the saw), mouth, and two rows of [[gill slit]]s (at the base of either [[pectoral fin]])]] [[File:The fishes of India (Plate CXCI) (6924477086).jpg|thumb|Comparison of the [[Largetooth sawfish|largetooth]] (top), [[Longcomb sawfish|green]] (middle) and [[narrow sawfish]] (bottom). Notice especially the structure of the saw, tail and pectoral fins, and the position of the first [[dorsal fin]] compared to the [[pelvic fin]]s]]

Sawfish have a strong shark-like body, a flat underside and a flat head. ''Pristis'' sawfish have a rough sandpaper-like skin texture because of the covering of dermal denticles, but in ''Anoxypristis'' the skin is largely smooth.<ref name=LastWhite2016/> The mouth and nostrils are placed on the underside of the head.<ref name=LastWhite2016/> There are about 88–128 small, blunt-edged teeth in the upper jaw of the mouth and about 84–176 in the lower jaw (not to be confused with the teeth on the saw). These are arranged in 10–12 rows on each jaw,<ref name=UofFloridaBiology>{{cite web | url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/discover/sawfish/biology/ | title=Sawfish Biology |publisher=University of Florida | access-date=17 November 2017| date=2017-05-03 }}</ref> and somewhat resemble a [[cobblestone]] road.<ref name=SawfishCSanatomy>{{cite web | url=http://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/Sawfish%20anatomy.html | title=Sawfish Anatomy | publisher=Sawfish Conservation Society | access-date=17 November 2017 | archive-date=31 October 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031155139/https://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/Sawfish%20anatomy.html }}</ref> They have small eyes and behind each is a [[Spiracle (vertebrates)|spiracle]], which is used to draw water past the [[Fish gill|gills]].<ref name=UofFloridaAnatomy>{{cite web | url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/discover/sawfish/anatomy/ | title=Sawfish Anatomy |publisher=University of Florida | access-date=17 November 2017| date=2017-05-03 }}</ref> The [[gill slit]]s, five on each side, are placed on the underside of the body near the base of the [[pectoral fin]]s.<ref name=SawfishCSanatomy/> The position of the gill openings separates them from the superficially similar yet generally much smaller (up to {{circa}} {{convert|1.5|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or|0}} long) [[sawshark]]s, in which the slits are on the side of the neck.<ref name=Wueringer2009/><ref name=Compagno2004>{{cite book|author1=Compagno |author2=Dando |author3=Fowler | title=Sharks of the World | year=2004 | publisher=Collins | pages=131–136 | isbn=978-0-00-713610-0 }}</ref> Unlike sawfish, sawsharks also have a pair of long [[Barbel (anatomy)|barbels]] on the rostrum ("saw").<ref name=Wueringer2009/><ref name=Compagno2004/>

Sawfish have two relatively high and distinct [[dorsal fin]]s, wing-like pectoral and [[pelvic fin]]s, and a tail with a distinct upper lobe and a variably sized lower lobe (lower lobe relatively large in ''Anoxypristis''; small to absent in ''Pristis'' sawfish).<ref name=LastWhite2016/> The position of the first dorsal fin compared to the pelvic fins varies and is a useful feature for separating some of the species.<ref name=LastWhite2016/> There are no [[anal fin]]s.<ref name=UofFloridaBiology/>

Like other [[elasmobranch]]s, sawfish lack a [[swim bladder]] (instead controlling their [[buoyancy]] with a large oil-rich [[liver]]), and have a skeleton consisting of cartilage.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://seapics.com/feature-subject/fish/sawfish-pictures-001.html | title=Sawfish |publisher=SeaPics | access-date=17 November 2017}}</ref> Males have [[clasper]]s, a pair of elongated structures used for mating and positioned on the underside at the pelvic fins.<ref name=UofFloridaBiology/> The claspers are small and indistinct in young males.<ref name=SawfishID/>

Their [[small intestine]]s contain an internal partition shaped like a [[corkscrew (tool)|corkscrew]], called a [[spiral valve]], which increases the surface area available for food absorption.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}

===Size=== [[File:Sawfish in Aqua park.png|thumb|Compare the sizes of [[green sawfish]] (top) and [[dwarf sawfish]] (bottom).]]

Sawfish are large to very large fish, but the maximum size of each species is generally uncertain. The [[smalltooth sawfish]], [[largetooth sawfish]] and [[green sawfish]] are among the world's [[largest fish]]. They can certainly all reach about {{convert|6|m|ft|abbr=on}} in total length and there are reports of individuals larger than {{convert|7|m|ft|abbr=on}}, but these are often labeled with some uncertainty.<ref name=LastWhite2016/> Typically reported maximum total lengths of these three are from {{convert|7|to(-)|7.6|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=LastWhite2016/> Large individuals may weigh as much as {{convert|500-600|kg|lb|abbr=on|0}},<ref name=UoFLoridaPerotteti>{{cite web | author1=Sullivan, T. | author2=C. Elenberger | date=April 2012 | title=Largetooth Sawfish | url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/discover/species-profiles/pristis-perotteti/ | publisher=University of Florida | access-date=11 November 2017 | archive-date=5 February 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205091526/https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/pristis-pristis/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> or possibly even more.<ref name=ReefQuestSize>{{cite web |url=http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/topics/r_big_fish_stories.htm |title=Big Fish Stories |author=Martin, R. Aidan |publisher=ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research|access-date=17 November 2017}}</ref><ref name=Nunes2016>{{cite journal|author1=Nunes |author2=Rincon |author3=Piorski |author4=Martins | year=2016 | title=Near-term embryos in a Pristis pristis (Elasmobranchii: Pristidae) from Brazil | journal=Journal of Fish Biology | volume=89 | issue=1 | pages=1112–1120 | doi=10.1111/jfb.12946 | pmid=27060457 |bibcode=2016JFBio..89.1112N }}</ref> Old unconfirmed and highly questionable reports of much larger individuals do exist, including one that reputedly had a length of {{convert|9.14|m|ft|abbr=on|0}}, another that had a weight of {{convert|2400|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, and a third that was {{convert|9.45|m|ft|abbr=on|0}} long and weighed {{convert|2591|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name=ReefQuestSize/>

The two remaining species, the [[dwarf sawfish]] and [[narrow sawfish]], are considerably smaller, but are still large fish with a maximum total length of at least {{convert|3.2|m|ft|round=0.5|abbr=on}} and {{convert|3.5|m|ft|round=0.5|abbr=on}} respectively.<ref name=LastWhite2016/><ref name=Curtis2012>{{cite book| author1=Curtis, Lee K. | author2=Dennis, Andrew J. | author3=McDonald, Keith R. | author4=Kyne, Peter M. | author5=Debus, Stephen J.S. | year=2012 | title=Queensland's Threatened Animals | publisher=CSIRO Publishing | pages=80–87 | isbn=978-0-643-09614-1 }}</ref> In the past it was often reported that the dwarf sawfish only reaches about {{convert|1.4|m|ft|abbr=on}}, but this is now known to be incorrect.<ref name=DepEnvClavata>{{cite web | date=2017 | title=''Pristis clavata'' — Dwarf Sawfish, Queensland Sawfish | url=http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=68447 | website=[[Department of the Environment and Energy]] | access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref>

== Distribution == [[File:Pristis pectinata SI3.jpg|thumb|The [[smalltooth sawfish]] is the only species found strictly in the Atlantic region and the only one that survives in the United States.<ref name=Dulvy2014/>]]

===Range=== Sawfish are found worldwide in tropical and [[subtropical]] waters.<ref name=Dulvy2014/>

Historically they ranged in the East Atlantic from [[Morocco]] to South Africa,<ref>{{cite book|author=Debelius, H. | title=Mediterranean and Atlantic Fish Guide | year=1997 | publisher=IKAN Unterwasserarchiv | page=28 | isbn= 978-3-925919-54-1 }}</ref> and in the West Atlantic from [[New York (state)|New York]] (United States)<ref name=Kells2015/> to [[Uruguay]], including the [[Caribbean Sea|Caribbean]] and [[Gulf of Mexico]].<ref name=Dulvy2014/> There are old reports (last in the late 1950s or shortly after) from the [[Mediterranean]] and these have typically been regarded as [[Vagrancy (biology)|vagrants]],<ref name=Dulvy2014/> but a review of records strongly suggests that this sea had a breeding population.<ref name=NatGeo2015>{{cite magazine | date=22 January 2015 | title=The Mediterranean's Missing Sawfishes |magazine=[[National Geographic]] |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2015/01/22/the-mediterraneans-missing-sawfishes/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181109235008/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2015/01/22/the-mediterraneans-missing-sawfishes/ |archive-date=November 9, 2018 | access-date=9 November 2018 }}</ref> In the East Pacific they ranged from [[Mazatlán]] (Mexico) to northern Peru.<ref name=Monte2009>{{cite journal|author1=Monte-Luna |author2=Castro-Aguirre |author3=Brook |author4=de la Cruz-Agüero |author5=Cruz-Escalona | year=2009 | title=Putative extinction of two sawfish species in Mexico and the United States | journal=Neotropical Ichthyology | volume=7 | issue=3 | pages=508–512 | doi=10.1590/S1679-62252009000300020 | doi-access=free }}</ref> Although the [[Gulf of California]] occasionally has been included in their range, the only known Pacific Mexican records of sawfish are from south of its mouth.<ref name=Monte2009/> They were widespread in the western and central [[Indo-Pacific]], ranging from South Africa to the [[Red Sea]] and [[Persian Gulf]], east and north to [[Korea]] and southern Japan, through [[Southeast Asia]] to [[Papua New Guinea]] and Australia.<ref name=Dulvy2014/> Today sawfish have disappeared from much of their historical range.<ref name=Dulvy2014/>

===Habitat=== [[File:Pristis pectinata (smalltooth sawfish) (Bimini, western Bahamas).jpg|thumb|A [[smalltooth sawfish]] in shallow water at [[Bimini]], the Bahamas]]

Sawfish are primarily found in coastal marine and [[estuarine]] [[brackish]] waters, but they are [[euryhaline]] (can adapt to various [[salinities]]) and also found in freshwater.<ref name=LastWhite2016/> The largetooth sawfish, alternatively called the freshwater sawfish, has the greatest affinity for freshwater.<ref name=WhiteDuke2017>{{cite book |author1=White, S. |author2=K. Duke |author3=Squire, L. Jr |chapter=Husbandry of sawfishes |editor=Mark Smith |editor2=Doug Warmolts |editor3=Dennis Thoney |editor4=Robert Hueter |editor5=Michael Murray |editor6=Juan Ezcurra | year=2017 |title=Elasmobranch Husbandry Manual II | publisher=Ohio Biological Survey | pages=75–85 | isbn=978-0-86727-166-9 }}</ref> For example, it has been reported as far as {{convert|1340|km|mi|abbr=on}} up the [[Amazon River]] and in [[Lake Nicaragua]], and its young spend the first years of their life in freshwater.<ref name=IUCNpristis/> In contrast, the smalltooth, green and dwarf sawfish typically avoid pure freshwater, but may occasionally move far up rivers, especially during periods when there is an increased salinity.<ref name=DepEnvClavata/><ref name=DepEnvZijsron>{{cite web | date=2017 | title=Pristis zijsron — Green Sawfish, Dindagubba, Narrowsnout Sawfish | url=http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=68442 |website=[[Department of the Environment and Energy]] | access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref><ref name=SawfishCSpectinata>{{cite web |author1=Whitty, J. |author2=N. Phillips |author3=R. Scharfer |url=http://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/pectinata.htm |title=Pristis pectinata (Latham, 1794) |publisher=Sawfish Conservation Society |access-date=17 November 2017 |archive-date=7 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007152918/https://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/pectinata.htm }}</ref> There are reports of narrow sawfish seen far upriver, but these need confirmation and may involve misidentifications of other species of sawfish.<ref name=UoFloridaCuspidata>{{cite web| author=Seitz, J. | title=Knifetooth Sawfish | url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/discover/species-profiles/anoxypristis-cuspidata | publisher=University of Florida | access-date=27 November 2017 | date=2017-05-10 }}</ref>

Sawfish are mostly found in relatively shallow waters, typically at depths less than {{convert|10|m|ft|abbr=on}},<ref name=Dulvy2014/> and occasionally less than {{convert|1|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=DepEnvZijsron/> Young prefer very shallow places and are often found in water only {{convert|25|cm|in|abbr=on|0}} deep.<ref name=Harrison2014/> Sawfish can occur offshore, but are rare deeper than {{convert|100|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Dulvy2014/> An unidentified sawfish (either a largetooth or smalltooth sawfish) was captured off Central America at a depth in excess of {{convert|175|m|ft|abbr=on|round=5}}.<ref name=SawfishCSpristis>{{cite web |author1=Whitty, J. |author2=N. Phillips |url=http://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/microdon.htm |title=Pristis pristis (Linnaeus, 1758) |publisher=Sawfish Conservation Society |access-date=17 November 2017 |archive-date=18 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118222910/http://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/microdon.htm }}</ref>

The dwarf and largetooth sawfish are strictly warm-water species that generally live in waters that are {{convert|25-32|C|F|abbr=on}} and {{convert|24-32|C|F|abbr=on}} respectively.<ref name=DepEnvClavata/><ref name=WhiteDuke2017/> The green and smalltooth sawfish also occur in colder waters, in the latter down to {{convert|16-18|C|F|abbr=on}}, as illustrated by their (original) distributions that ranged further north and south of the strictly warm-water species.<ref name=WhiteDuke2017/><ref name=UniOFloridaMyth>{{cite web | url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/discover/sawfish/sawfish-myths/ | title=Sawfish Myths |publisher=University of Florida | access-date=19 November 2017| date=2017-05-04 }}</ref> Sawfish are bottom-dwellers, but in captivity it has been noted that at least the largetooth and green sawfish readily take food from the water surface.<ref name=WhiteDuke2017/> Sawfish are mostly found in places with soft bottoms such as mud or sand, but may also occur over hard rocky bottoms or at [[coral reef]]s.<ref name=Seitz2002>{{cite journal|author1=Seitz, J.C. |author2=G.R. Poulakis | year=2002 | title=Recent occurrence of the smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata (Elasmobranchiomorphi: Pristidae), in Florida Bay and the Florida Keys, with comments on sawfish ecology | journal=Florida Scientist | volume=65 | issue=4 | pages=256–266 | jstor=24321140 }}</ref> They are often found in areas with [[seagrass]] or [[mangrove]].<ref name=Dulvy2014/>

[[Sawshark]]s are typically found much deeper, often at depths in excess of {{convert|200|m|ft|abbr=on}}, and when shallower mostly in colder subtropical or temperate waters than sawfish.<ref name=Wueringer2009/><ref name=Compagno2004/>

== Behavior == ===Breeding and life cycle=== [[File:Pristis pectinata juvenile.jpg|thumb|A juvenile [[smalltooth sawfish]] being released]]

Relatively little is known about the reproductive habits of the sawfish, but all species are [[ovoviviparous]] with the adult females giving birth to live young once a year or every second year.<ref name=Dulvy2014/> In general, males appear to reach sexual maturity at a slightly younger age and smaller size than females.<ref name=Dulvy2014/> As far as known, sexual maturity is reached at an age of 7–12 years in ''Pristis'' and 2–3 years in ''Anoxypristis''. In the smalltooth and green sawfish this equals a total length of {{convert|3.7-4.15|m|ft|abbr=on}}, in the largetooth sawfish at {{convert|2.8-3|m|ft|abbr=on}}, in the dwarf sawfish about {{convert|2.55-2.6|m|ft|abbr=on}}, and in the narrow sawfish at {{convert|2-2.25|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Dulvy2014/> This means that the [[Biological life cycle|generation length]] is about 4.6 years in the narrow sawfish and 14.6–17.2 years in the remaining species.<ref name=Dulvy2014/>

Mating involves the male inserting a [[clasper]], organs at the pelvic fins, into the female to fertilize the eggs.<ref name=GovWesternAustralia/> As known from many [[elasmobranchs]], the mating appears to be rough, with the sawfish often sustaining lacerations from its partner's saw.<ref>{{cite web | author= FSUCML | date=14 April 2017 | title=Researchers Discover Critical Clue in the Mystery of Sawfish Mating | url=https://marinelab.fsu.edu/news-around-the-lab/researchers-discover-critical-clue-in-the-mystery-of-sawfish-mating/ | publisher=Florida State University | access-date=6 June 2019 }}</ref> However, through genetic testing it has been shown that at least the smalltooth sawfish also can reproduce by [[parthenogenesis]] where no male is involved and the offspring are [[cloning|clones]] of their mother.<ref name=Lee2015>{{cite magazine | author=Lee, J.J. | date=1 June 2015 | url=https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/06/150601-virgin-birth-animals-sawfish-endangered-genetics-science/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602234249/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/06/150601-virgin-birth-animals-sawfish-endangered-genetics-science/ | archive-date=June 2, 2015 |title=Rare Fish Performs "Virgin Births"—First Known in The Wild | magazine=National Geographic |access-date=28 February 2018 }}</ref><ref name=Fields2015>{{cite journal|author1=Fields, A.T. |author2=K.A. Feldheim |author3=G.R. Poulakis |author4=D.D. Chapman | year=2015 | title=Facultative parthenogenesis in a critically endangered wild vertebrate | journal=Current Biology | volume=25 | issue=11 | pages=R446–R447 | doi=10.1016/j.cub.2015.04.018 | pmid=26035783 | doi-access=free |bibcode=2015CBio...25.R446F }}</ref> In [[Florida]], United States, it appears that about 3% of the smalltooth sawfish offspring are the result of parthenogenesis.<ref name=Zielinski2015>{{cite news | author=Zielinski, S. | date=5 June 2015 | url=https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/wild-things/virgin-births-wont-save-endangered-sawfish |title='Virgin births' won't save endangered sawfish | publisher=ScienceNews |access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref> It is speculated that this may be in response to being unable to find a partner, allowing the females to reproduce anyway.<ref name=Fields2015/><ref name=Zielinski2015/>

The [[Pregnancy in fish|pregnancy]] lasts several months.<ref name=GovWesternAustralia/> There are 1–23 young in each sawfish litter, which are {{convert|60-90|cm|ft|abbr=on|0}} long at birth.<ref name=Dulvy2014/><ref name=GovWesternAustralia/> In the [[embryo]]s the rostrum is flexible and it only hardens shortly before birth.<ref name=GovWesternAustralia/> To protect the mother the saws of the young have a soft cover, which falls off shortly after birth.<ref>{{cite book| author=Walker, S.M. | title=Rays | year=2003 | publisher=Carolrhoda Books, Inc | page=38 | isbn=978-1-57505-172-7 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://marinelab.fsu.edu/news-around-the-lab/dr-grubbs-documents-pregnant-sawfish-giving-birth-in-the-wild/ | title=FSUCML scores another scientific first: Dr. Dean Grubbs and colleagues document and assist pregnant sawfish give birth in the wild | date=25 December 2016 | publisher=Florida State University, Coastal and Marine Laboratory |access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref> The pupping grounds are in coastal and estuarine waters. In most species the young generally stay there for the first part of their lives, occasionally moving upriver when there is an increase in salinity.<ref name=DepEnvClavata/><ref name=DepEnvZijsron/><ref name=SawfishCSpectinata/><ref name=IUCNcuspidata>{{Cite journal | author = D'Anastasi, B. | author2 = Simpfendorfer, C. | author3 = van Herwerden, L. | name-list-style=amp | title = ''Anoxypristis cuspidata'' | journal = [[The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species]] | volume = 2013 | page = e.T39389A18620409 | date = 2013 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T39389A18620409.en | doi-access = free }}</ref> The exception is the largetooth sawfish where the young move upriver into freshwater where they stay for 3–5 years, sometimes as much as {{convert|400|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the sea.<ref name=SawfishCSpristis/> In at least the smalltooth sawfish the young show a degree of [[site fidelity]], generally staying in the same fairly small area in the first part of their lives.<ref name=Poulakis2016>{{Cite journal|last1=Poulakis|first1=Gregg R.|last2=Stevens|first2=Philip W.|last3=Timmers|first3=Amy A.|last4=Stafford|first4=Christopher J.|last5=Chapman|first5=Demian D.|last6=Feldheim|first6=Kevin A.|last7=Heupel|first7=Michelle R.|last8=Curtis|first8=Caitlin|year=2016|title=Long-term site fidelity of endangered small-tooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) from different mothers|journal=Fishery Bulletin|volume=114|issue=4|pages=461–475|doi=10.7755/fb.114.4.8|doi-access=free}}</ref> In the green and dwarf sawfish there are indications that both sexes remain in the same overall region throughout their lives with little mixing between the subpopulations. In the largetooth sawfish the males appear to move more freely between the subpopulations, while mothers [[Natal homing|return to the region where they were born]] to give birth to their own young.<ref name=Feutry2015>{{cite journal|author1=Feutry |author2=Kyne |author3=Pillans |author4=Chen |author5=Marthick |author6=Morgan |author7=Grewe | year=2015 | title=Whole mitogenome sequencing refines population structure of the Critically Endangered sawfish Pristis pristis | journal=Marine Ecology Progress Series | volume=533 | pages=237–244 | doi=10.3354/meps11354 |bibcode=2015MEPS..533..237F |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=Phillips2015>{{cite journal|author1=Phillips, N. |author2=B. Wueringer | date=Autumn 2015 | title=Sawfish. Ancient predators in need of modern conservation tools | journal=Wildlife Australia | volume=52 | issue=1 | pages=14–17 }}</ref>

The length of the full lifespan of sawfish is labeled with considerable uncertainty. A green sawfish caught as a juvenile lived for 35 years in captivity,<ref name=WhiteDuke2017/> and a smalltooth sawfish lived for more than 42 years in captivity.<ref>{{cite news | author=Jones, C. | date=16 November 2010 | url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Discovery-Kingdom-s-sawfish-off-to-New-Orleans-3245710.php |title=Discovery Kingdom's sawfish off to New Orleans | newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref> In the narrow sawfish it has been estimated that the lifespan is about 9 years, and in the ''Pristis'' sawfish it has been estimated that it varies from about 30 to more than 50 years depending on the exact species.<ref name=Dulvy2014/>

===Electrolocation=== {{Further|Electroreception and electrogenesis}}

The rostrum (saw), unique among [[jawed fish]], plays a significant role in both locating and capturing prey.<ref name=ZombieBirds/><ref name=Wueringer2012>{{cite journal |last1=Wueringer |first1=Barbara E. |last2=Squire |first2=Lyle |last3=Kajiura |first3=Stephen M. |last4=Hart |first4=Nathan S. |last5=Collin |first5=Shaun P. |display-authors=3 |title=The function of the sawfish's saw |journal=Current Biology |date=1 March 2012 |volume=22 |issue=5 |pages=R150–R151 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2012.01.055 |pmid=22401891 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2012CBio...22.R150W }}</ref> The head and rostrum contain thousands of sensory organs, the [[ampullae of Lorenzini]], that allow the sawfish to detect and monitor the movements of other organisms by measuring the [[electric field]]s they emit.<ref name=Wueringer2011>{{cite journal |last=Wueringer |first=B. E. |author2=Peverell, S. C. |last3=Seymour |first3=J. |last4=Squire |first4=L. Jr. |last5=Kajiura |first5=S. M. |last6=Collin |first6=S. P. |display-authors=3 |title=Sensory Systems in Sawfishes. 1. The Ampullae of Lorenzini |journal=Brain, Behavior and Evolution |date=1 January 2011 |volume=78 |issue=2 |pages=139–149 |doi=10.1159/000329515 |pmid=21829004 |s2cid=16357946}}</ref> [[Electroreception]] is found in all cartilaginous fishes and some bony fishes. In sawfish the sensory organs are packed most densely on the upper- and underside of the rostrum, varying in position and numbers depending on the species.<ref name=Wueringer2011/><ref name=ZombieBirds>{{cite book |last=Crew |first=Becky |title=Zombie birds, astronaut fish, and other weird animals |publisher=Adams Media |location=Avon, Massachusetts |pages=55–58 |isbn=978-1-4405-6026-2 |date=2013-04-18 }}</ref> Utilizing their saw as an extended sensing device, sawfish are able to examine their entire surroundings from a position close to the seafloor.<ref name=Wueringer2009/> It appears that sawfish can detect potential prey by electroreception from a distance of about {{convert|40|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name=SawfishSawUse/> Some waters where sawfish live are very murky, limiting the possibility of hunting by sight.<ref name=Phillips2015/>

===Feeding=== [[File:Sawfish.jpg|thumb|Two [[largetooth sawfish]] at the [[Shanghai Ocean Aquarium]]]]

Sawfish are predators that feed on fish, [[crustacean]]s and [[mollusc]]s.<ref name=LastWhite2016/> Old stories of sawfish attacking large prey such as whales and dolphins by cutting out pieces of flesh are now considered to be wholly unsubstantiated.<ref name=Wueringer2009/><ref name=UniOFloridaMyth/> Humans are far too large to be considered potential prey.<ref name=UoFloridaBasics>{{cite web |title=Sawfish Basics |url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/discover/sawfish/basics/ |publisher=University of Florida |access-date=17 November 2017 |date=2017-05-02 }}</ref> In captivity they are typically fed ''[[ad libitum]]'' or in set amounts that (per week) equal 1–4% of the total weight of the sawfish, but there are indications that captives grow considerably faster than their wild counterparts.<ref name=WhiteDuke2017/>

Exactly how they use their saw after the prey has been located has been debated, and some scholarship on the subject has been based on speculations rather than real observations.<ref name=SawfishSawUse/><ref name=Wueringer2012/> In 2012 it was shown that there are three primary techniques, informally called "saw in water", "saw on substrate" and "pin".<ref name=Wueringer2012/> If a prey item such as a fish is located in the open water, the sawfish uses the first method, making a rapid swipe at the prey with its saw to incapacitate it. It is then brought to the seabed and eaten.<ref name=SawfishSawUse/><ref name=WhiteDuke2017/><ref name=Wueringer2012/> The "saw on substrate" is similar, but used on prey at the seabed.<ref name=SawfishSawUse/><ref name=Wueringer2012/> The saw is highly streamlined and when swiped it causes very little water movement.<ref name=AG2017>{{cite news |date=24 March 2017 |title=Sawfish are the ultimate stealth hunters, study finds |publisher=Australian Geographic |url=http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2017/03/sawfish-are-the-ultimate-stealth-hunters,-study-finds |access-date=28 February 2018}}</ref> The final method involves pinning the prey against the seabed with the underside of the saw, in a manner similar to that seen in [[guitarfish]].<ref name=SawfishSawUse/><ref name=Wueringer2012/> The "pin" is also used to manipulate the position of the prey, allowing fish to be swallowed head-first and thus without engaging any possible fin spines.<ref name=SawfishSawUse/><ref name=Wueringer2012/> The spines of [[catfish]], a common prey, have been found imbedded in the rostrum of sawfish.<ref name=GovWesternAustralia/> [[Shoaling and schooling|Schools]] of [[Mullet (fish)|mullets]] have been observed trying to escape sawfish.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Stevens, J.D. |author2=R.B. McAuley |author3=C.A. Simpfendorfer |author4=R.D. Pillans |title=Spatial distribution and habitat utilisation of sawfish (''Pristis'' spp) in relation to fishing in northern Australia |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/d2b0bb03-401e-4e94-848f-85458e4d7d1e/files/sawfish-report.pdf |date=September 2008 |website=Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water}}</ref> Prey fish are typically swallowed whole and not cut into small pieces with the saw,<ref name=GovWesternAustralia/> although on occasion one may be split in half during capture by the slashing motion.<ref name=SawfishSawUse/> Prey choice is therefore limited by the size of the mouth.<ref name=Seitz2014/> A {{convert |1.3 |m |ft |abbr=on}} sawfish had a {{convert |33 |cm |in |abbr=on}} catfish in its stomach.<ref name=Phillips2015/>

It had been suggested that sawfish use their saw to dig/rake in the bottom for prey,<ref name=Breeder1952>{{cite journal |last1=Breder |first1=C. M. |year=1952 |title=On the utility of the saw of the sawfish |journal=Copeia |volume=1952 |issue=2 |pages=90–91 |doi=10.2307/1438539 |jstor=1438539}}</ref> but this was not observed during a 2012 study,<ref name=Wueringer2012/> or supported by later [[hydrodynamic]] studies.<ref name=AG2017/> Large sawfish often have rostral teeth with tips that are notably worn.<ref name=Slaughter1968/>

===Saw and self-defense=== Old stories often describe sawfish as highly dangerous to humans, sinking ships and cutting people in half, but today these are considered myths and not factual.<ref name=Wueringer2009/><ref name=UniOFloridaMyth/> Sawfish are actually docile and not aggressive to humans and only use their saws against people defensively such as when captured; they can inflict serious injuries when defending themselves, by thrashing the saw from side to side.<ref name=FishBaseFamily/><ref name=UoFloridaPristis/><ref name=WhiteDuke2017/> The saw is also used in self-defense against predators, such as sharks, that may eat sawfish.<ref name=GovWesternAustralia/> In captivity, they have been seen using their saws during fights over hierarchy or food.<ref name=Phillips2015/>

==Relationship with humans==

===In history, culture and mythology===

[[File:Nieuhof-Description-générale-de-la-Chine-1665 0874.tif|thumb|Engraving showing a whale and several fish, including a sawfish, in China ([[Johan Nieuhof]]: ''[[An embassy from the East-India Company|Het gezantschap der Neêrlandtsche Oost-Indische Compagnie]]'', 1665)]]

The largetooth sawfish was among the species formally described by [[Carl Linnaeus]] (as "''Squalus pristis''") in [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|''Systema Naturae'' in 1758]],<ref name=IUCNpristis/> but sawfish were already known thousands of years earlier.<ref name=Moore2015/>

Sawfish were occasionally mentioned in antiquity, in works such as [[Pliny's Natural History|Pliny's ''Natural History'']] (77–79 AD).<ref name=Harrison2014/> ''Pristis'', the scientific name formalised for sawfish by Linnaeus in 1758, was also in use as a name even before his publication. For example, sawfish or "''priste''" were included in ''Libri de piscibus marinis in quibus verae piscium effigies expressae sunt'' by [[Guillaume Rondelet]] in 1554, and "''pristi''" were included in ''De piscibus libri V, et De cetis lib. vnus'' by [[Ulisse Aldrovandi]] in 1613. Outside Europe, sawfish are mentioned in old [[Greater Iran|Persian]] texts, such as 13th century writings by [[Zakariya al-Qazwini]].<ref name=Harrison2014/>

Sawfish have been found among archaeological remains in several parts of the world, including the [[Persian Gulf]] region, the Pacific coast of [[Panama]], coastal Brazil and elsewhere.<ref name=Harrison2014/><ref name=Gonzalez2005>{{cite journal |last=Gonzalez |first=M. M. B. |year=2005 |title=Use of Pristis spp. (Elasmobranchii: Pristidae) by Hunter-Gatherers on the Coast of São Paulo, Brazil |journal=Neotropical Ichthyology |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=421–426 |doi=10.1590/S1679-62252005000300010 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[File:Sepik sawfish mask Berlin-Dahlem.jpg|thumb|A mask with a sawfish [[Rostrum (anatomy)|rostrum]] from [[Sepik]], Papua New Guinea, now housed at the [[Ethnological Museum of Berlin]]]]

The cultural significance of sawfish varies significantly. The [[Aztec]]s, in what is now Mexico, often included depictions of sawfish rostra (saws), notably as the striker/sword of the monster [[Cipactli]].<ref name=Eilperin2012>{{cite book |last=Eilperin |first=J. |title=Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks |year=2012 |pages=57–66 |publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing |isbn= 978-0-307-38680-9 }}</ref> Numerous sawfish rostra have been found buried at the [[Templo Mayor]], and two locations in coastal [[Veracruz]] had Aztec names referring to sawfish.<ref name=Harrison2014/> In the same general region, sawfish teeth have been found in [[Maya civilization|Mayan]] graves.<ref name=Sohn2015>{{cite journal |last=Sohn |first=E. |date=March 2015 |title=Sawfish Recovery — Is a Mythical Fish Recovering? |url=https://www.aza.org/assets/2332/sawfish_recovery_-_emily_sohn.pdf |journal=Connect |pages=30–35 }}</ref> The sawfish saw is part of the dancing masks of the [[Huave people|Huave]] and [[Zapotec peoples|Zapotecs]] in [[Oaxaca]], Mexico.<ref name=Harrison2014/><ref name=SaveOSSawfishCultural>{{cite web |title=Sawfish Cultural Significance |url=https://saveourseas.com/sawfish-cultural-significance/ |date=18 October 2017 |publisher=Save Our Seas Foundation |access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref> The [[Guna people]] on the Caribbean coast of Panama and Colombia consider sawfish as rescuers of drowning people, and protectors against dangerous sea creatures.<ref name=FloridaFWCCCultural/> Also in Panama, sawfish were recognized as containing powerful spirits that could protect humans against supernatural enemies.<ref name=FloridaFWCCCultural/>

In the [[Bissagos Islands]] off West Africa, dancing dressed as sawfish and other sea creatures is part of men's coming-of-age ceremonies.<ref name=Eilperin2012/><ref name=Robillard2006>{{cite journal |last1=Robillard |first1=M. |last2=Séret |first2=B. |title=Cultural importance and decline of sawfish (Pristidae) populations in West Africa |year=2006 |journal=Cybium |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=23–30 }}</ref> In [[Gambia]], the saws indicate courage; the more saws are on display in a house, the more courageous the owner is seen to be.<ref name=Robillard2006/> In [[Senegal]], the [[Lebu people]] believe the saw can protect their family, house and livestock. In the same general region, they are recognized as ancestral spirits who use the saw as a magic weapon. The [[Akan people]] of [[Ghana]] see sawfish as an authority symbol. There are [[proverb]]s with sawfish in the African language [[Duala language|Duala]].<ref name=Helfman2011>{{cite book|author1=Helfman, G. |author2=B. Collette |title=Fishes: The Animal Answer Guide |year=2011 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn= 978-1-4214-0223-9 }}</ref> In some other parts of coastal Africa, sawfish are considered extremely dangerous and supernatural, but their powers can be used by humans, as their saw is seen to retain powers against disease, bad luck and evil.<ref name=Helfman2011/> Among most African groups, consumption of sawfish meat is entirely acceptable, but among some (the [[Fula people|Fula]], [[Serer people|Serer]] and [[Wolof people|Wolof]] people) it is [[taboo]].<ref name=Robillard2006/> In the [[Niger Delta]] region of southern [[Nigeria]], the saws of sawfish (known as ''oki'' in [[Ijaw languages|Ijaw]] and neighbouring languages) are often used in [[masquerade ceremony|masquerades]].<ref name="AfricanPast">{{cite book |title=Archaeology, language, and the African past |last=Blench |first=Roger |publisher=Altamira Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-7591-0465-5}}</ref>

In Asia, sawfish are a powerful symbol in many cultures. Asian shamans {{specify}} use sawfish rostrums for exorcisms and other ceremonies to repel demons and disease.<ref name=Raloff2007>Raloff, Janet (2007). [http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20070811/bob9.asp Hammered Saws] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417073649/http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20070811/bob9.asp |date=2008-04-17 }}, ''Science News'' vol. 172, pp. 90–92.</ref> They are believed to protect houses from ghosts when hung over doorways.<ref name=Harrison2014/> Illustrations of sawfish are often found at [[Buddhist temples in Thailand]].<ref name=Sohn2015/> In the [[Sepik]] region of New Guinea, locals admire sawfish, but also see them as punishers, who will unleash heavy rainstorms on anyone breaking fishing taboos.<ref name=FloridaFWCCCultural/> Among the [[Anindilyakwa people|Warnindhilyagwa]], a group of [[Indigenous Australians]], the ancestral sawfish, ''Yukwurrirrindangwa'' and rays created the land. The ancestral sawfish carved out the river of [[Groote Eylandt]] with their saws.<ref name=FloridaFWCCCultural/><ref name=McDavitt2005>{{cite web |last=McDavitt |first=M. T. |title=The cultural significance of sharks and rays in Aboriginal societies across Australia's top end |url=http://www.mesa.edu.au/seaweek2005/pdf/infosheet08.pdf |date=6–13 March 2005 |publisher=Marine Education Society Australia |access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref> Among European sailors, sawfish were often feared as animals that could sink ships by piercing/sawing the [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]] with their saw (claims now known to be entirely untrue),<ref name=UniOFloridaMyth/> but there are also stories of them saving people. In one case, it was described how a ship almost sank during a storm in Italy in 1573. The sailors prayed and made it safely ashore, where they discovered a sawfish that had "plugged" a hole in the ship with its saw. A sawfish rostrum said to be from this miraculous event is kept at the sanctuary of [[Carmine Maggiore, Naples|Carmine Maggiore in Naples]].<ref name=Harrison2014/>

[[File:Kampfabzeichen der Kleinkampfmittel (7.Stufe).png|thumb|The German World War II [[List of military decorations of the Third Reich#Naval War Badges|Kampfabzeichen der Kleinkampfverbände]] (Battle Badge of Small Combat Units)]] Sawfish have been used as symbols in recent history. During [[World War II]], illustrations of sawfish were placed on navy ships, and used as symbols by both American and Nazi German submarines.<ref name=FloridaFWCCCultural/> Sawfish served as the emblem of the German [[German submarine U-96 (1940)|U-96 submarine]], known for its portrayal in ''[[Das Boot]]'', and was later the symbol of the [[9th U-boat Flotilla]]. The German World War II {{lang|de|[[List of military decorations of Nazi Germany|Kampfabzeichen der Kleinkampfverbände]]}} (Battle Badge of Small Combat Units) depicted a sawfish.

In cartoons and humorous popular culture, the sawfish—particularly its rostrum ("nose")—has been employed as a sort of living tool. Examples of this can be found in ''[[Vicke Viking]]'', ''[[Fighting Fantasy]]'' volume "[[Demons of the Deep]]",{{citation needed|date=November 2017}} and ''[[Terraria]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250907102956/https://terraria.wiki.gg/wiki/Sawtooth_Shark|title=Sawtooth Shark|website=Web.archive.org|access-date=May 28, 2026}}</ref>

A stylized sawfish was chosen by the [[Central Bank of the West African States]] to appear on coins and banknotes of the [[CFA franc|CFA]] currency. This was due to it being a mythological representation of [[fecundity]] and prosperity. The image takes its form from an [[Akan people|Akan]] and [[Baoule]] bronze weight, used for exchanges in the trade of gold powder.<ref name=Robillard2006/>{{Clear}}

===In aquariums=== [[File:Sawfish Atlantis Paradise Island photo D Ramey Logan.jpg|thumb|right|[[Atlantis Paradise Island]] became the world's first place to breed a member of this family in captivity, when [[smalltooth sawfish]] pups were born in 2012.<ref name=BahamasLocal2012>{{cite news | date=31 May 2012 | url=https://www.bahamaslocal.com/newsitem/50438/The_endangered_Smalltooth_Sawfish_gives_birth_at_Atlantis_Paradise_Island.html |title=The endangered Smalltooth Sawfish gives birth at Atlantis, Paradise Island | publisher=Bahamas Local |access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref><ref name=GeorgiaAq>{{cite web | url=http://news.georgiaaquarium.org/stories/saving-sawfish |title=Saving Sawfish | publisher=Georgia Aquarium |access-date=28 February 2018 }}</ref>]]

Sawfish are popular in [[public aquarium]]s, but require very large tanks. In a review of 10 North American and European public aquariums that kept sawfish, their tanks were all very large and ranged from about {{convert|1500000|to(-)|24200000|L|gal|abbr=on}}.<ref name=WhiteDuke2017/> Individuals in public aquariums often function as "ambassadors" for sawfish and their conservation plight.<ref name=GeorgiaAq/><ref name=Batesman2018>{{cite news | author=Batesman, D. | date=28 November 2017 | url=http://www.cairnspost.com.au/lifestyle/sawfish-welcomed-to-new-home-at-cairns-aquarium/news-story/173b38e1cabe831fdeee5869a5d55ccb |title=Sawfish welcomed to new home at Cairns Aquarium | newspaper=Cairns Post |access-date=28 February 2018 }}</ref> In captivity they are quite robust, appear to grow faster than their wild counterparts (perhaps due to consistent access to food). Some individuals have lived for decades, but breeding them has proven difficult.<ref name=WhiteDuke2017/> In 2012, four smalltooth sawfish pups were born at [[Atlantis Paradise Island]] in the Bahamas and, in 2023, another three were born at [[SeaWorld Orlando]] in Florida; these remain the only times a member of this family has been successfully bred in captivity.<ref name=WhiteDuke2017/><ref name=BahamasLocal2012/><ref name=seaworldorlando>{{cite news | date=18 October 2023 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/seaworld-endangered-sawfish-born-first-successful-captive-birth-species/ |title=3 endangered sawfish born at SeaWorld – the first successful captive birth of the species in the U.S. | publisher=CBS News |access-date=17 July 2024 }}</ref> Unsuccessful breeding attempts had taken place earlier at Atlantis Paradise Island, including a miscarriage in 2003.<ref name=Henningsen2004>{{cite book|author1=Henningsen |author2=Smale |author3=Gordon |author4=Garner |author5=Marin-Osorno |author6=Kinnunen |chapter=Captive Breeding and Sexual Conflict in Elasmobranchs |editor1=Smith, M. |editor2=D. Warmolts |editor3=D. Thoney |editor4=R. Hueter | year=2004 |title=Elasmobranch Husbandry Manual | publisher=Ohio Biological Survey | pages=237–248 | isbn=978-0-86727-152-2 }}</ref> Nevertheless, it is hoped that this success may be the first step in a captive breeding program for the threatened sawfish.<ref name=Harrison2014/> It is speculated that seasonal variations in water temperature, salinity and [[photoperiod]] are necessary to encourage breeding.<ref name=WhiteDuke2017/> [[Artificial insemination]], as already practiced with a few captive sharks, is also being considered.<ref>{{cite news | author=Campbell, F. | date=14 October 2017 | url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/family/endangered-sawfish-takes-up-residence-at-dubai-aquariam-1.667191 |title=Endangered Sawfish takes up residence at Dubai Aquariam | publisher=The National |access-date=28 February 2018 }}</ref> Tracking studies indicate that if sawfish are released to the wild after spending a period in captivity (for example, if they outgrow their exhibit), they rapidly adopt a movement pattern similar to that of fully wild sawfish.<ref>{{cite news | author=Herrick, R. | date=27 October 2014 | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-27/largetooth-sawfish-from-aquariums-learn-to-swim-with-current/5843024 |title=When sawfish go wild: Released aquarium animals learn to swim with current, study finds| publisher=ABC News |access-date=28 February 2018 }}</ref>

Among the five sawfish species, only the four ''Pristis'' species are known to be kept in public aquariums. The most common is the largetooth sawfish, with [[studbook]]s including 16 individuals in North America in 2014, 5 individuals in Europe in 2013 and 13 individuals in Australia in 2017; this was followed by the green sawfish, with 13 individuals in North America, and 6 in Europe.<ref name=WhiteDuke2017/> Both of these species are also kept at public aquariums in Asia, and the only captive dwarf sawfish are in [[Aqua Park Shinagawa|Japan]].<ref name=SawfishAquariums>{{cite web | url=http://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/Sawfish%20media%20and%20aquariums.htm | title=Sawfish in Aquariums and the Media | publisher=Sawfish Conservation Society | access-date=17 November 2017 | archive-date=8 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508192138/http://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/Sawfish%20media%20and%20aquariums.htm }}</ref> In 2014, studbooks included 12 smalltooth sawfish in North America,<ref name=WhiteDuke2017/> and the only ones kept elsewhere are at a public aquarium in Colombia.<ref name=SawfishAquariums/>

===Decline and conservation=== [[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Man op het strand met een gevangen zaagvis Nederlands-Indië TMnr 10030176.jpg|thumb|A [[narrow sawfish]] caught by a local fisherman about 100 years ago in the [[Dutch East Indies]] (now Indonesia)]]

Sawfish were once common, with habitat found along the coastline of 90 countries,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Briggs |first1=Helen |title='Hedge trimmer' fish facing global extinction |url=https://news.yahoo.com/hedge-trimmer-fish-facing-global-015041260.html |access-date=12 February 2021 |publisher=BBC News |date=11 February 2021}}</ref> locally even abundant,<ref name=Harrison2014/><ref name=Moore2015/> but they have declined drastically and are now among the most threatened groups of marine fish.<ref name=Dulvy2014/>

====Fishing for various uses==== Sawfish and their parts have been used for numerous things. In approximate order of impact, the four most serious threats today are use in [[shark fin soup]], as [[traditional medicine]], rostral teeth for [[cockfight]]ing spurs and the saw as a novelty item.<ref name=Harrison2014/> Despite being rays rather than sharks,<ref name=LastWhite2016/> sawfish have some of most prized fins for use in shark fin soup, on level with [[Tiger shark|tiger]], [[Mako shark|mako]], [[Blue shark|blue]], [[porbeagle]], [[Thresher shark|thresher]], [[Hammerhead shark|hammerhead]], [[Blacktip shark|blacktip]], [[Sandbar shark|sandbar]] and [[bull shark]].<ref>Vannuccini, S. 1999. [http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/005/X3690E/x3690e0p.htm Shark utilization, marketing and trade.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802204244/http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/x3690e/x3690e0p.htm |date=2017-08-02 }} FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 389. Rome, FAO. Retrieved 17 March 2009.</ref> As traditional medicine (especially [[Traditional Chinese medicine|Chinese medicine]], but also known from Mexico, Brazil, Kenya, [[Eritrea]], [[Yemen]], Iran, India and [[Bangladesh]]) sawfish parts, oil or powder have been claimed to work against respiratory ailments, eye problems, [[rheumatism]], pain, inflammation, [[scabies]], skin ulcers, diarrhea and stomach problems, but there is no evidence supporting any of these uses.<ref name=Harrison2014/> The saws are used in ceremonies and as curiosities. Until relatively recently many saws were sold to visiting tourists, or through antique stores or shell shops, but they are now mostly sold online, often illegally.<ref name=Harrison2014/> In 2007 it was estimated that the fins and saw from a single sawfish potentially could earn a fisher more than [[US$]]5,000 in Kenya and in 2014 a single rostral tooth sold as cockfighting spurs in Peru or Ecuador had a value of up to US$220.<ref name=Harrison2014/> Secondary uses are the meat for consumption and the skin for leather.<ref name=Harrison2014/> Historically the saws were used as weapons (large saws) and combs (small saws).<ref name=McDavitt2005/> Oil from the liver was prized for use in boat repairs and street lights,<ref name=Reis2016>{{cite journal|author1=Reis-Filho |author2=Freitas |author3=Loiola |author4=Leite |author5=Soeiro |author6=Oliveira |author7=Sampaio |author8=Nunes |author9=Leduc | year=2016 | title=Traditional fisher perceptions on the regional disappearance of the largetooth sawfish Pristis pristis from the central coast of Brazil | journal=Endanger Species Res | volume=2 | issue=3 | pages=189–200 | doi=10.3354/esr00711 |doi-access=free }}</ref> and as recent as the 1920s in Florida it was regarded as the best [[fish oil]] for consumption.<ref name=Harrison2014/>

Sawfish fishing goes back several thousand years,<ref name=Moore2015/> but until relatively recently it typically involved traditional low-intensity methods such as simple hook-and-line or [[Spearfishing|spearing]]. In most regions the major population decline in sawfish started in the 1960s–1980s.<ref name=Moore2015/><ref name=Robillard2006/><ref name=Reis2016/> This coincided with a major growth in demand of fins for shark fin soup, the expansion of the international [[shark finning]] fishing fleet,<ref name=Robillard2006/> and a proliferation of modern [[nylon]] fishing nets.<ref name=Reis2016/> The exception is the dwarf sawfish which was relatively widespread in the Indo-Pacific, but by the early 1900s it had already disappeared from most of its range, only surviving for certain in Australia (there is a single recent possible record from the Arabian region).<ref name=Dulvy2014/><ref name=IUCNclavata>{{cite iucn |author=Grant, M.I. |author2=Charles, R. |author3=Fordham, S. |author4=Harry, A.V. |author5=Lear, K.O. |author6=Morgan, D.L. |author7=Phillips, N.M. |author8=Simeon, B. |author9=Wakhida, Y. |author10=Wueringer, B.E. |year=2022 |title=''Pristis clavata'' |volume=2022 |article-number=e.T39390A68641215 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T39390A68641215.en |access-date=17 October 2023}}</ref> The saw has been described as sawfish's [[Achilles' heel]], as it easily becomes entangled in fishing nets.<ref name=Giglio2016>{{cite journal|author1=Giglio, V.J. |author2=O.J. Luiz |author3=M.S. Reis |author4=L.C. Gerhardinge | date=April 2016 | title=Memories of sawfish fisheries in a southwestern Atlantic estuary | journal=SPC Traditional Marine Resource Management and Knowledge Information Bulletin | volume=36 | pages=28–32 }}</ref> Sawfish can also be difficult or dangerous to release from nets, meaning that some fishers will kill them even before bringing them aboard the boat,<ref name=DepEnvZijsron/> or cut off the saw to keep it/release the fish. Because it is their main hunting device, the long-term survival of saw-less sawfish is highly questionable.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Morgan |author2=Wringer |author3=Allen |author4=Ebner |author5=Whitty |author6=Gleiss |author7=Beatty | title=What is the fate of amputee sawfish? | url=https://fisheries.org/2016/02/what-is-the-fate-of-amputee-sawfish/ | date=2 February 2016 | publisher=American Fisheries Society | access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref> In Australia where sawfish have to be released if caught, the narrow sawfish has the highest mortality rate,<ref name=IUCNcuspidata/> but it is still almost 50% for dwarf sawfish caught in [[gill net]]s.<ref name=IUCNclavata/> In an attempt of lowering this, a guide to sawfish release has been published.<ref>{{cite web| title=A guide to releasing sawfish | url=http://www.mesa.edu.au/seaweek2008/Sawfish_release_guide.pdf | year=2004 | publisher=Queensland Government, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries | access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref>

====Habitat destruction and vulnerability to predators==== Although fishing is the main cause of the drastic decline in sawfish, another serious problem is [[habitat destruction]]. Coastal and estuarine habitats, including mangrove and [[seagrass meadow]]s, are often degraded by human developments and pollution, and these are important habitats for sawfish, especially their young.<ref name=Harrison2014/><ref name=SawfishCCConservation>{{cite web |author1=Smith, K. |author2=J. Whitty |url=http://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/Sawfish%20conservation.htm |title=Sawfish Conservation |publisher=Sawfish Conservation Society |access-date=17 November 2017 |archive-date=30 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130130738/http://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/Sawfish%20conservation.htm }}</ref> In a study of juvenile sawfish in Western Australia's [[Fitzroy River (Western Australia)|Fitzroy River]] about 60% had bite marks from bull sharks or crocodiles.<ref name=BBCpredators>{{cite news | date=12 April 2017 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-39550816 |title=Photos show crocodile eating sawfish in Australia | work=BBC News |access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref> Changes to river flows, such as by [[dam]]s or droughts, can increase the risk faced by sawfish young by bringing them into more contact with predators.<ref name=Poulakis2016/><ref>{{cite journal|author1=Morgan |author2=Somaweera |author3=Gleiss |author4=Beatty |author5=Whitty | date=2017 | title=An upstream migration fought with danger: freshwater sawfish fending off sharks and crocodiles | journal=Ecology | volume=98 | issue=5 | pages=1465–1467 | doi=10.1002/ecy.1737 | pmid=28394411 | doi-access=free |bibcode=2017Ecol...98.1465M }}</ref><ref name=Moodie2019>{{cite news | publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | website=ABC News | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-01/gina-rineharts-water-plan-for-the-fitzroy-river-under-fire/11164598 | first=Claire | last=Moodie | title=More than 40 dead sawfish on Gina Rinehart's cattle station fuels concern about water plan | date=1 June 2019 | access-date=1 June 2019}}</ref>

Endangered sawfish and other fish in Florida are showing strange behaviors and dying because of environmental toxins. These toxins, produced by microalgae near the sea bottom, affect the neurological systems of fish.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mazzei |first=Patricia |date=April 15, 2024 |title=What's Killing Endangered Sawfish in Florida? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/15/us/sawfish-florida-keys.html |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

====21st-century status==== The combined range of the five sawfish species encompassed 90 countries, but today they have certainly disappeared entirely from 20 of these and possibly disappeared from several others.<ref name=Dulvy2014/> Many more have lost at least one of their species, leaving only one or two remaining.<ref name=Dulvy2014/> Of the five species of sawfish, three are critically endangered and two are endangered according to the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]]'s [[IUCN Red List|Red List of Threatened Species]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|date=2021-02-12|title='Hedge trimmer' fish facing global extinction|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56031151|access-date=2021-02-12}}</ref> The sawfish is now presumed extinct in 55 nations (including [[China]], [[Iraq]], [[Haiti]], [[Japan]], [[East Timor|Timor-Leste]], [[El Salvador]], [[Taiwan]], [[Djibouti]] and [[Brunei]]), with 18 countries with at least one species of sawfish missing and 28 countries with at least two.<ref name=":0" /> The United States and Australia appear to be the last strongholds of the species, where sawfish are better protected.<ref name=":0" /> [[Science Advances]] identifies [[Cuba]], [[Tanzania]], [[Colombia]], [[Madagascar]], [[Panama]], [[Brazil]], [[Mexico]] and [[Sri Lanka]] as the nations where urgent action could make a big contribution to saving the species.<ref name=":0" />

=====Australia ===== [[File:Pristis pristis townsville.jpg|thumb|A [[largetooth sawfish]] in [[Northern Australia]], which is the only remaining stronghold for four of the five species.<ref name=Harrison2014/><ref name=Phillips2015/>]]

The only remaining stronghold of the four species in the Indo-Pacific region (narrow, dwarf, largetooth and green sawfish) is in [[Northern Australia]], but they have also experienced a decline there.<ref name=Harrison2014/><ref name=Phillips2015/> ''Pristis'' sawfish are protected in Australia and only [[Indigenous Australians]] can legally catch them.<ref name=SawfishCCConservation/><ref name=DeptEnvWaHe2010>{{cite web| title=Non detriment finding for the freshwater sawfish, Pristis microdon | url=http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/consultations/c5982695-7aca-437d-b656-e8481d7001ee/files/draft-ndf-public-comment.pdf | date=2010 | publisher=[[Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts]] | access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref> Violations can result in a fine of up to [[AU$]]121,900.<ref name=Slezak2016/> The narrow sawfish does not receive the same level of protection as the ''Pristis'' sawfish.<ref name=SawfishCCConservation/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://theconversation.com/australian-endangered-species-largetooth-sawfish-24558 |title=Australian endangered species: Largetooth Sawfish |date=17 April 2014 |work=The Conversation |access-date=27 November 2017 }}</ref> Under [[CITES]] regulations, Australia was the only country that could export wild-caught sawfish for the aquarium trade from 2007 to 2013 (no country afterwards).<ref name=IUCNpristis/> This strictly involved the largetooth sawfish where the Australian population remains relatively robust, and only living individuals "to appropriate and acceptable aquaria for primarily conservation purposes".<ref name=IUCNpristis/> Numbers traded were very low (eight between 2007 and 2011),<ref name=Harrison2014/> and following a review Australia did not export any after 2011.<ref name=IUCNpristis/>

Largetooth sawfish have been monitored in [[Fitzroy River, Western Australia]], a primary stronghold for the species, since 2000. In December 2018, the largest recorded mass fish death in the river occurred when more than 40 sawfish died, mainly because of heat and a severe lack of rainfall during a poor wet season.<ref name=Moodie2019/> A 14-day research expedition in [[Far North Queensland]] in October 2019 did not spot a single sawfish. Expert Dr Peter Kyne of [[Charles Darwin University]] said that habitat change in the south and [[gillnet]] fishing in the north had contributed to the decline in numbers, but now that fishers had started working with the conservationists, [[dam]]s and water diversions to the river flows had become a bigger problem in the north. Also, impact of successful [[saltwater crocodile]] conservation is a negative one on sawfish populations. However, there were still good populations in the [[Adelaide River]] and [[Daly River (Northern Territory)|Daly River]] in the [[Northern Territory]], and the Fitzroy River in [[the Kimberley]].<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|website =ABC News |title='I can't say it was unexpected': Sawfish research team comes home empty-handed|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-10-17/sawfish-disappearing-queensland-river/11601108|first=Nick|last=Kilvert|date=17 October 2019|access-date =22 October 2019}}</ref>

A study by [[Murdoch University]] researchers and [[Indigenous ranger]]s, which captured more than 500 sawfish between 2002 and 2018, concluded that the survival of the sawfish could be at risk from dams or major water diversions on the Fitzroy River. It found that the fish are completely reliant on the Kimberley's [[wet season]] floods to complete their breeding cycle; in recent drier years, the population has suffered. There has been debate about using water from the river for agriculture and to grow fodder crops for cattle in the region.<ref>{{cite news |title =Sawfish researchers call for protection of crucial global stronghold in the Kimberley|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-24/sawfish-boom-and-bust-cycle-at-risk-with-dams/11798542|website =ABC News |publisher =Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=24 December 2019 |first =Claire|last= Moodie|access-date =24 December 2019 }}</ref>

Sharks and Rays Australia (SARA) are conducting a citizen science investigation to understand the sawfish's historical habitats. Citizens can report their sawfish sighting online.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sharksandraysaustralia.com/|title=Sharks And Rays Australia Research Organisation|website=Sharks And Rays Australia|language=en-AU|access-date=2020-04-02}}</ref>

=====Rest of the world ===== Except for Australia, sawfish have been [[Local extinction|extirpated]] or only survive in very low numbers in the Indo-Pacific region. For example, among the four species only two (narrow and largetooth sawfish) certainly survive in [[South Asia]], and only two (narrow and green sawfish) certainly survive in Southeast Asia.<ref name=Dulvy2014/>

[[File:Sign for protection of Smalltooth sawfish, Sanibel Island, FL, USA.jpg|thumb|right|Sign for the protection of [[smalltooth sawfish]] in [[Florida]], USA]]

The status of the two species of the Atlantic region, the smalltooth and largetooth sawfish, is comparable to the Indo-Pacific. For example, sawfish have been entirely extirpated from most of the Atlantic coast of Africa (only survives for certain in [[Guinea-Bissau]] and [[Sierra Leone]]), as well as South Africa.<ref name=Dulvy2014/><ref name=Everett2015>{{cite journal|author1=Everett |author2=Cliff |author3=Dudley |author4=Wintner |author5=van der Elst | year=2015 | title=Do sawfish Pristis spp. represent South Africa's first local extirpation of marine elasmobranchs in the modern era? | journal=African Journal of Marine Science | volume=37 | issue=2 | pages=275–284 | doi=10.2989/1814232X.2015.1027269 |bibcode=2015AfJMS..37..275E |s2cid=83912626 |url=https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/1493049 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The only relatively large remaining population of the largetooth sawfish in the Atlantic region is at the Amazon estuary in Brazil, but there are smaller in Central America and West Africa, and this species is also found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.<ref name=Fernandez2013>{{cite journal|author1=Fernandez-Carvalho |author2=Imhoff |author3=Faria |author4=Carlson |author5=Burgess | year=2013 | title=Status and the potential for extinction of the largetooth sawfish Pristis pristis in the Atlantic Ocean | journal=Aquatic Conserv: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. | volume=24 | issue=4 | pages=478–497 | doi=10.1002/aqc.2394 |url=http://www.repositorio.ufc.br/handle/riufc/71307 }}</ref> The smalltooth sawfish is only found in the Atlantic region and it is possibly the most threatened of all the species, as it had the smallest original range (range {{circa}} {{convert|2100000|km2|mi2|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and has experienced the greatest contraction (disappeared from c. 81% of its original range).<ref name=Harrison2014/> It only survives for certain in six countries,<ref name=IUCNpectinata>{{Cite journal | author = Carlson, J. | author2 = Wiley, T. | author3 = Smith, K. | name-list-style=amp | title = ''Pristis pectinata'' | journal = [[The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species]] | volume = 2013 | page = e.T18175A43398238 | date = 2013 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T18175A43398238.en | doi-access = free }}</ref> and it is possible that the only remaining [[Minimum viable population|viable population]] is in the United States.<ref name=Giglio2016/> In the United States the smalltooth sawfish once occurred from [[Texas]] to New York, but its numbers have declined by at least 95% and today it is essentially restricted to Florida.<ref name=Chapman2011>{{Cite journal|last1=Chapman | first1=Demian D. | last2=Simpfendorfer | first2=Colin A.|last3=Wiley | first3=Tonya R. | last4=Poulakis | first4=Gregg R. | last5=Curtis | first5=Caitlin | last6=Tringali|first6=Michael | last7=Carlson | first7=John K. | last8=Feldheim | first8=Kevin A. | year=2011 | title=Genetic Diversity Despite Population Collapse in a Critically Endangered Marine Fish: The Smalltooth Sawfish (Pristis pectinata) | journal=Journal of Heredity | volume=102 | issue=6 | pages=643–652|doi=10.1093/jhered/esr098 | pmid=21926063 | issn=0022-1503| doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=RecoveryPlanSmalltooth>{{cite web |url=http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/recovery/smalltoothsawfish.pdf |title=Recovery Plan for Smalltooth Sawfish (''Pristis pectinata'') |publisher=[[National Marine Fisheries Service]] |year=2009 |access-date=March 18, 2009}}</ref> However, the Florida population retains a high [[genetic diversity]],<ref name=Chapman2011/> has now stabilised and appears to be slowly increasing.<ref name=Sohn2015/><ref name=RecoveryPlanSmalltooth/> A [[Endangered species recovery plan|Recovery Plan]] for the smalltooth sawfish has been in effect since 2002.<ref name=SawfishCCConservation/> It has been strictly protected in the United States since 2003 when it was added to the [[Endangered Species Act]] as the first marine fish.<ref name=NationalGeographic2003>{{cite magazine| author=Walker, C. | title=Sawfish Is First Sea Fish on U.S. Endangered List | url=https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0604_030604_sawfish.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030606204815/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0604_030604_sawfish.html | archive-date=June 6, 2003 | date=4 June 2003 | magazine=National Geographic | access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref> This makes it "illegal to harm, harass, hook, or net sawfish in any way, except with a permit or in a permitted fishery".<ref name=UofFloridaWhyReport/> The fine is up to US$10,000 for the first violation alone.<ref name=UofFloridaWhyReport/> If accidentally caught, the sawfish has to be released as carefully as possible and a basic how-to guide has been published.<ref name=UofFloridaWhyReport/> In 2003 an attempt of adding the largetooth sawfish to the Endangered Species Act was denied, in part because this species does not occur in the United States anymore<ref name=NationalGeographic2003/> (last confirmed US record in 1961).<ref name=Fernandez2013/> However, it was added in 2011,<ref name=ESA2011>{{cite web | author=Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2011/07/12/2011-17502/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-endangered-status-for-the-largetooth-sawfish |title=Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Status for the Largetooth Sawfish | publisher=Federal Register | pages=40822–40836 | date=12 July 2011 | access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref> and all the remaining sawfish species were added in 2014, restricting trade in them and their parts in the United States.<ref name=ESA2014/> In 2020, a Florida fisherman used a [[power saw]] to remove a smalltooth sawfish's rostrum and then released the maimed fish; he received a fine, community service and probation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/2020/01/25/man-fined-2000-for-killing-endangered-smalltooth-sawfish/|title= Man fined $2000 for killing endangered smalltooth sawfish |date= 25 January 2020 }}</ref>

[[File:Pristis sp.jpg|thumb|right|A [[smalltooth sawfish]] briefly captured for tagging as part of a conservation project]]

Since 2007, all sawfish species have been listed on [[CITES Appendix I]], which prohibits international trade in them and their parts.<ref name=Black2007/><ref name=CITESappendix/><ref name=CITESprop17>{{cite conference | title=Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora | pages=CoP14 Prop. 17 | publisher=Fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties | date=3–15 June 2007 | location=The Hague | url=https://www.cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/cop/14/prop/E14-P17.pdf | access-date=17 November 2017}}</ref> The only exception was the relatively robust Australian population of the largetooth sawfish that was listed on [[CITES Appendix II]], which allowed trade to public aquariums only.<ref name=Black2007/> Following reviews Australia did not use this option after 2011 and in 2013 it too was moved to Appendix I.<ref name=IUCNpristis/> In addition to Australia and the United States, sawfish are protected in the European Union, Mexico, [[Nicaragua]], [[Costa Rica]], [[Ecuador]], Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, [[Bahrain]], [[Qatar]], the [[United Arab Emirates]], [[Guinea]], [[Senegal]] and South Africa, but they are likely already [[Functional extinction|functionally extirpated]] or entirely extirpated from several of these countries.<ref name=Dulvy2014/><ref name=Moore2015/><ref name=Fordham2018>{{cite web| author1=Fordham, S.V. | author2=Jabado, R. | author3=Kyne, P.M. | author4=Dulvy, N.K. | year=2018 | title=Saving Sawfish – Progress and Priorities | url=http://www.iucnssg.org/uploads/5/4/1/2/54120303/sawfish-lr-spreads.pdf | publisher=IUCN Shark Specialist Group | access-date=9 November 2018 }}</ref><ref name=Casselman2019>{{cite magazine | author=Casselman, A. Sawfish | date=18 April 2019 |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/04/searching-for-last-remaining-sawfish/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418202845/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/04/searching-for-last-remaining-sawfish/ |archive-date=April 18, 2019 | title=Searching for the world's last remaining sawfish |magazine=National Geographic |access-date=19 June 2019 }}</ref> [[Illegal fishing]] continues and in many countries enforcement of fishing laws is lacking.<ref name=Dulvy2014/><ref name=IUCNpristis/> Even in Australia where relatively well-protected, people are occasionally caught illegally trying to sell sawfish parts, especially the saw.<ref name=Slezak2016/> The saw is distinctive, but it can be difficult to identify flesh or fins as originating from sawfish when cut up for sale at [[fish market]]s. This can be resolved with [[DNA]] testing.<ref name=Palmeira2013>{{cite journal|author1=Palmeira |author2=Rodrigues-Filho |author3=Sales |author4=Vallinoto |author5=Schneider |author6=Sampaio | year=2013 | title=Commercialization of a critically endangered species (largetooth sawfish, Pristis perotteti) in fish markets of northern Brazil: Authenticity by DNA analysis | journal=Food Control | volume=34 | issue=1 | pages=249–252 | doi=10.1016/j.foodcont.2013.04.017 | doi-access=free }}</ref> If protected their relatively low reproduction rates make these animals especially slow to recover from [[overfishing]].<ref name=Raloff2007/> An example of this is the largetooth sawfish in Lake Nicaragua where once abundant. The population rapidly crashed during the 1970s when tens of thousands were caught. It was protected by the Nicaraguan government in the early 1980s, but remains rare today.<ref name=Harrison2014/> Nevertheless, there are indications that at least the smalltooth sawfish population may be able to recover at a faster pace than formerly believed, if well-protected.<ref name=Williams2018>{{cite news | author=Williams, T. | date=30 January 2018 | url=https://blog.nature.org/science/2018/01/30/recovery-smalltooth-sawfish-flickering-back/ |title=Recovery: Smalltooth Sawfish Flickering Back | publisher=[[The Nature Conservancy]] |access-date=28 February 2018 }}</ref> Uniquely in this family, the narrow sawfish has a relatively fast reproduction rate (generation length about 4.6 years, less than one-third the time of the other species), it has experienced the smallest contraction of its range (30%) and it is one of only two species considered [[Endangered species|Endangered]] rather than [[Critically Endangered]] by the [[IUCN]].<ref name=Dulvy2014/> The other rated as Endangered is the dwarf sawfish, but this primarily reflects that its main decline happened at least 100 years ago and IUCN ratings are based on the time period of the last three generations (estimated about 49 years in dwarf sawfish).<ref name=Dulvy2014/><ref name=IUCNclavata/>

There are several research projects aimed at sawfish in Australia and North America, but also a few in other continents.<ref name=SawfishCSResearch>{{cite web | url=http://www.sawfishconservationsociety.org/Sawfish%20Research.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150313033731/http://sawfishconservationsociety.org/Sawfish%20Research.htm | archive-date=March 13, 2015 | title=Sawfish Research | publisher=Sawfish Conservation Society | access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref> The [[Florida Museum of Natural History]] maintains the International Sawfish Encounter Database where people worldwide are encouraged to report any sawfish encounters, whether it was living or a rostrum seen for sale in a shop/online.<ref name=Harrison2014/><ref name=UofFloridaWhyReport/><ref name=Sohn2015/> Its data is used by biologists and conservationists for evaluating the habitat, range and abundance of sawfish around the world.<ref name=Harrison2014/> In an attempt of increasing the knowledge of their plight the first "Sawfish Day" was held on 17 October 2017,<ref name=SaveOSSawfishCultural/><ref name=RipleysAqCelebratingSawfish>{{cite web| title=Celebrating the Sawfish | url=https://www.ripleyaquariums.com/canada/deep-sea-diary-international-sawfish-day/ | date=12 October 2017 | publisher=Ripley's Aquarium of Canada | access-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref> and this was repeated on the same date in 2018.<ref>{{cite web| title=International Sawfish Day 2018 | url=https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/international-sawfish-day-2018 | date=17 October 2018 | publisher=NOAA Fisheries | access-date=6 June 2019 }}</ref>

==See also== * [[Threatened rays]]

==Notes== {{Reflist|group=note}}

== References == {{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading== *{{cite web | title=Experts warn Australian sawfish close to dying out | website=SBS News | date=8 January 2019 | url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/experts-warn-australian-sawfish-close-to-dying-out}} *{{cite web | last=Kyne | first=Peter | title=Australian endangered species: Largetooth Sawfish | website=The Conversation | date=17 April 2014 | url=http://theconversation.com/australian-endangered-species-largetooth-sawfish-24558}} *{{cite web | title=Searching for the world's last remaining sawfish | website=Animals | date=18 April 2019 | url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/04/searching-for-last-remaining-sawfish/| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418202845/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/04/searching-for-last-remaining-sawfish/| archive-date=April 18, 2019}} *[https://www.marineconservation.org.au/sawfish/ Sawfish] ''Australian Marine Conservation Society'' *[https://www.sharksandraysaustralia.com/ Report your sawfish sighting to Sharks and Rays Australia]

== External links == {{Commons category|Pristidae}}

[[Category:Sawfish| ]] [[Category:Ovoviviparous fish]] [[Category:Extant Eocene first appearances]] [[Category:Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte]]