International Sawfish Day 2024
Safeguarding Bangladesh’s Sawfish from the Brink of Extinction
By G. M. Masum Billah and Robiul Kauser
With the recent research findings of an increased number of Endangered Bengal tigers in Bangladesh’s Sundarbans, many of us are hopeful that this majestic creature might survive for generations to come. But what about the Critically Endangered sawfish that inhabit our waters, whose population is in even greater peril than that of the Bengal tigers?
Bangladesh remains one of the few places in Asia where sawfish are still found. On this International Sawfish Day, we must ask ourselves: Do they have a chance to survive in our waters?
Bangladesh remains one of the few places in Asia where sawfish are still found. On this International Sawfish Day, we must ask ourselves: Do they have a chance to survive in our waters?
Sawfish are a special kind of fish under the class of cartilaginous fish, Chondrichthyes, that includes sharks, rays, and skates. It’s easy to distinguish between sharks and rays by looking at the position of their gill slits — openings used for breathing underwater. In sharks, the gill slits are positioned on the sides of their bodies, while in rays, they are located on the bottom of their body.
Sawfish, often referred to as “carpenter sharks,” are a type of ray with a long, serrated snout. Their distinctive appearance, however, is also their downfall. The saw-like snout, while a formidable hunting tool, can easily become entangled in fishing gear, leading to injury or death. Moreover, the demand for their fins and meat, driven by false myths, such as a cure for cancer, leads to the retention of sawfish instead of safely releasing them back into the waters in compliance with the law, further endangering their survival.
Sawfish give birth to only a few live pups after reaching about seven to ten years of age, which means that many female sawfish die in fishing nets before they can reproduce. The alarmingly high mortality rate for a Critically Endangered species is a grave concern, mainly due to the long time it takes for females to reach sexual maturity and their small litter size.
By engaging citizen scientists, WCS has been monitoring nine major fish landing sites in the coastal regions to collect data on sharks and rays. From 2016 to date, we have recorded landings of 18 largetooth sawfishes (Pristis pristis) in the landing sites and dry fish processing sites. The international demand for their fins and local demand, mainly for their meat, make sawfish a lucrative business opportunity, which is our biggest concern.
“Once common during the 1900s and 1960s, sawfish have now become a rare encounter, even as dead specimens at the fish landing sites.”
In Bangladesh, three of the five sawfish species can be found: the largetooth, the green, and the narrow/pointed sawfishes. Their presence highlights the region’s ecological diversity, but the urgent need for conservation efforts to protect these vulnerable species is underscored.
However, these three species are protected in Bangladesh under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act 2012, and international trade in sawfish or their body parts is prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). These measures, along with ongoing conservation efforts, have shown some success in protecting these species, inspiring hope for their future.
WCS Bangladesh considers that “every landing brings the sawfish closer to extinction from Bangladesh’s water”.
WCS Bangladesh Program’s Marine Technical Advisor, Dr. Syed Arif Azad, explained, “Once common during the 1900s and 1960s, sawfish have now become a rare encounter, even as dead specimens at the fish landing sites. Effective enforcement of legal regulations and a strongly motivated and inspired community of fishers and traders’ community can help bring back a healthy sawfish population in our waters.”
WCS Bangladesh engages with Citizen Science Fishermen Safety Network, which practices the safe release of protected sharks and rays, setting an example for others to follow.
WCS Bangladesh engages with Citizen Science Fishermen Safety Network, which practices the safe release of protected sharks and rays, setting an example for others to follow.
Recently, they safely released a Critically Endangered sharpnose guitarfish (Glaucostegus granulatus). They have previously safely released Endangered whale sharks (Rhincodon typus), a Critically Endangered hawksbill sea turtle, Vulnerable olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea), and Least Concern pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata).
WCS’s interactive and cost-effective educational outreach initiative, “Ocean Guardians — Protecting Threatened Sharks and Rays in Bangladesh,” conducted at major fish landing sites across the coastal region, engages fishers, fish traders, and their communities to enable them to identify protected species, understand their conservation importance, and learn safe release methods.
WCS’s Educational Outreach Program Manager, Nadim Parves, explained, “the outreach events allow for the connection and building of trust with local fishers, traders, and their communities, and they inspire them to release entangled protected sharks and rays safely.”
WCS’s educational outreach initiative, “Ocean Guardians — Protecting Threatened Sharks and Rays in Bangladesh,” engages fishers, fish traders, and their communities to to identify protected species, understand their conservation importance, and learn safe release methods.
Jakir Hossain, a fisher from Char Kukri Mukri, has done an extraordinary example by continuously safely releasing protected sharks and rays, including the rare and critically Endangered Ganges sharks (Ganges shark) and Endangered giant freshwater whiprays (Urogymnus Polylepis).
WCS’s Bangladesh Country Director, Dr. Md. Zahangir Alom, stated, “Our efforts are ongoing through policy-level interventions and connecting fishers and traders through community engagement initiatives. However, as citizens, we are responsible for complying with laws, debunking false myths, and inspiring others to protect sawfish. We can choose what to catch, trade or eat, and the fate of sawfish depends on it.”
G. M. Masum Billah and Robiul Kauser are the Field Coordinator and Field Officer respectively in the Bangladesh Program of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
