According to a study, one of the most unique creatures in the ocean that look like a hedge-trimmer could be on the brink of extinction. The sawfish was once found in the warm coastal waters of 90 different countries but now is presumed to be extinct in 46 of those countries including China, Japan, and also Brunei.
International Union for Conservation of Nature wrote that three of the five sawfish species are considered critically endangered, while the other two are endangered. The main threats to the sawfish actually are habitat loss and entanglement of their ‘saws’ in fishing nets.
Not just that, their fins are also among the most valuable in the global shark fin trade as a celebratory dish in some Asian cultures. Furthermore, sawfish’s noses are often sold as curios or medicine.
According to a statement, complete extinction of the sawfish was possible if nothing was done to curb overfishing and to protect its threatened habitats. Nicholas Dulvy said, “Through the plight of sawfish, we are documenting the first cases of a wide-ranging marine fish being driven to local extinction by overfishing”.
To try and curb the extinction of sawfish from getting worse, researchers recommended international conservation efforts to focus on Cuba, Tanzania, Columbia, Madagascar, Panama, Brazil, Mexico, and Sri Lanka while in Australia and the United States were noted as ‘lifeboat nations’ for the sawfish, because of the presence of adequate protection.