The largetooth sawfish will receive added protection in Caribbean countries thanks to the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol under the Cartagena Convention.
Under the new agreement, the 17 member countries will impose new national laws to protect the critically endangered species and take actions to allow for the recovery of the species. The new agreement expands the protections that were agreed upon for the smalltooth sawfish, which was added to SPAW Annex II in 2017.
“We are pleased that governments from across the Caribbean have seen the value of saving the iconic and irreplaceable largetooth sawfish from further regional extinction,” said Olga Koubrak, legal advisor for Sealife Law. “Sawfish are among the world’s most endangered marine species and urgently need strict legal protections wherever they remain.”
“Today’s decision is warranted and welcome, as time is running out for sawfish,” said Sonja Fordham, president of Shark Advocates International. “The success of this measure depends on prompt and robust implementation of associated conservation commitments. We thank the Netherlands for proposing sawfish listing and urge continued engagement to ensure sawfish protection programs are developed across the Caribbean, before it’s too late.”
Found globally in warm waters, sawfish can grow to nearly 20 feet. Like other rays, low reproductive rates leave them exceptionally vulnerable to overfishing. Incidental catch is the main threat to sawfish; their tooth-studded snouts are easily entangled in nets. Despite increasing protections, sawfish parts are used for curios, food, medicine, and cockfighting. Habitat degradation also jeopardizes survival.
