KARACHI: Collaborative efforts are needed to conserve sawfish, a magnificent marine species facing extinction, stated the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) on International Sawfish Day observed on Wednesday.

The day is celebrated to raise awareness of these critically endangered species and highlights the threats facing them.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, some of the species of sawfish are classified as critically endangered while others are endangered.

These species are also included in Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix-I and are protected under Sindh and Balochistan fisheries laws since 2016.

Sawfish, which are related to sharks, have a unique long, narrow, flattened rostrum, or nose extension, lined with sharp transverse teeth, arranged in a way that resembles a saw.

Three species of sawfish — knife-tooth sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidatus), large-tooth sawfish (Pristis pristis) and large-comb sawfish (Pristis zijsron) — have been reported from Pakistan.

“Once abundantly found, sawfish species, also known as carpenter sharks, are on the brink of extinction globally, whereas two species knife-tooth and large-comb sawfishes are now considered to be locally extinct,” said Muhammad Moazzam Khan, technical adviser on marine fisheries at WWF-P.

According to him, there was once a considerably large sawfish fishery in Pakistan and they were mainly found in Miani Hor (Sonmiani), Kalmat Khor, Jiwani, Gwadar and along the entire Indus Delta, particularly Khajar Creek.

“Sawfish population is declining rapidly throughout the world because of overfishing, entanglement in nets, fishing gear, habitat loss and curio trade. They also are also in demand for Chinese shark fin soup,” he said.

According to the WWF data, there have been at least five records of large-tooth sawfish from Pakistan in the last decade.

In May 2018, a 15-feet long giant female large-tooth sawfish was caught by a fisherman near Khajar Creek. Another specimen was caught from the same area a few years earlier in June 2013.

Similarly, two specimens were caught in September 2009 and January 2016 from Sur, near Gwadar, Balochistan.

Sharing his concerns, Saeed-ul-Islam, coordinator marine programme at WWF-P, said that some sawfish might still be surviving in their main habitats such as the Indus creeks (Khajar Creek), Gwadar and Miani Hor.

“Our organisation intends to conduct environmental DNA (eDNA) studies in these areas to confirm their presence,” he said.

He explained the eDNA as the DNA which an organism left behind as it moved through an environment which could be detected using modern techniques to confirm their presence.

Once confirmed an area-specific management plan would be developed for conservation of sawfish, he added.

In addition to fishing, he pointed out, habitat degradation was also an important factor that had resulted in the decline or possible local extinction of sawfish.

“Local power plants and other industries are continuously being built in areas such as Gwadar, where sawfishes were previously found. A national or regional conservation action plan for the prevention of intentional killing, protection of habitat, minimisation of by-catch, and ending illegal fin and rostrum trading must be developed,” he emphasised.

It is important to recall that governments of Sindh and Balochistan have included sawfish in the list of species that cannot be fished, landed and marketed since 2016.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2018