Where have all the sawfishes gone? Perspectives on declines of these Critically Endangered species in Sri Lanka

1. All five species of sawfishes (family Pristidae) are amongst the most threatened marine fishes in the world, with steep population declines and local extinctions documented across their ranges.
2. Sawfishes have featured in Sri Lankan species checklists since 1889. However, landing records are extremely rare and little information is available on their status, diversity, and recent occurrences.
3. Interviews were conducted with 300 fishers and 10 fish traders. Only 39% of fishers (n = 118) could identify sawfishes, 37% had seen sawfishes (although half not since 1992), and only 10.7% had ever caught one. No respondents under 30 years could identify sawfishes. Older respondents (>50 years) were more likely to have caught sawfishes and reported seeing them frequently until 30 years ago, while younger respondents had only seen them at landing sites and, at most, once or twice in their life. Only 10 respondents had seen a sawfish in the last decade, suggesting that sawfishes were relatively abundant in the past but that populations have drastically declined.
4. Of the 32 respondents who had caught sawfishes, 30 reported declining numbers and attributed it to fishing pressure. These steep declines coincide with the time of increased fishing effort, the development of the aquaculture industry, and resulting degradation of coastal habitats in the 1980–1990s.
5. Overall, sawfishes had little cultural significance although fishers had specific names for the different species occurring here and rostra were sometimes donated to Catholic churches for ‘good luck’. Landed sawfishes were primarily sold for meat and traders appeared unaware of the high value of fins.
6. It is likely that sawfishes are now functionally extinct as a component of coastal ecosystems in Sri Lanka. Immediate action including species-specific legislation and critical habitat protection is urgently needed to provide remaining sawfishes and other sharks and rays with a fighting chance.