SAW FISH IN THE ABACO MARLS? NO SURPRISE. SAW A SAWFISH? AWESOME!
Exactly a year ago, an extraordinary find was made out on the Abaco Marls. Almost disguised against the pale mud under the low water was the first sawfish reported for the Marls. This fish is not merely a rarity in the Northern Bahamas: all species of sawfishes worldwide are IUCN listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered.
Sawfish, Abaco Marls Feb 2014 (Photo: Jacque Cannon)
Here is an account of the discovery reported by FRIENDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT: “On a recent fishing trip in the Marls with local guide Justin Sands, Sam and Jacque Cannon had an exciting encounter. As Justin was poling the flats, with Sam on the bow searching for bonefish, Jacque spotted a Sawfish! Jacque and Justin quickly forgot about Sam and his efforts to catch a bonefish and turned their focus to the Sawfish. This is a very rare sighting and one we are happy there was a camera available to document it…” A couple of weeks later I was lucky enough to sit next to Jacque at dinner at the Delphi Club, so I was able to hear at first hand the story of this amazing find. It also turned out to be the perfect time to sign an early copy of “The Birds of Abaco” for Jacque and Sam… 
Sawfish Book Plate (1884)
10 ESSENTIAL SAWFISH FACTS
- Sawfishes are also known as Carpenter Sharks; their ‘saw’ is called a ROSTRUM
- There are 7 species in oceans and seas worldwide, including the Mediterranean
- All populations have declined drastically due to habitat loss, overfishing & pollution
- The rostrum is used to feel, to dig, to slash & impale or stun its prey, and for defence
- Sawfishes are nocturnal creatures and spend a lot of time face down on the sea floor
- Like sharks, their skeleton is made of cartilage and not bone.
- Some species can grow up to 7m long
- They are generally unaggressive unless provoked but fight strongly when caught
- Sawfishes are slow breeders, making population recovery more difficult
- Babies are called ‘pups’. Their rostrum is flexible and sheathed until after birth
Sawfish seen from below – Atlantis, Nassau, Bahamas (Fred Hsu)
Other sawfish have been seen recently in the Northern Bahamas, though not in Abaco waters. Last summer the Bahamas National Trust posted 2 great images of a Smalltooth Sawfish, saying “BNT was excited to receive these photographs of a Smalltooth Sawfish photographed in the proposed East Grand Bahama National Park – Bersus Cay Area. The sawfish was 12 to 13 feet long and was seen in water that was 2 -3 feet deep. Thank you to Buzz Cox, Island Manager at Deep water Cay for sending us these photos”. 
CONSERVATION ISSUES
POPULATION DECLINE As noted above, Sawfish populations have declined to less than 10% of historical levels. The Smalltooth Sawfish – seen above – was once prolific in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean, Black Sea and Indo-Pacific. Population numbers of this species are now estimated at less than 5% to perhaps as low as 1% of their historic levels.
THREAT TO SURVIVAL The threats to their existence are many: habitat loss, overfishing, accidental bycatch, rostrum souvenir hunters (good prices can be obtained), taking them for fins (as a delicacy) or oil from their liver (medicinal).
A very recent Bahamas smalltooth sawfish sighting on Bimini – Jan 2015
Smalltooth Sawfish (Pristis pectinata) Bimini, Bahamas – Lee & Mary Ellen St John Jan 2015
Time for some footage of these rare and wonderful creatures in the Bahamas. The first is from John Flanagan and was taken during a dive off Bimini in early 2014. He was so surprised by the sight that he nearly forgot to turn on his camera to take a short video… The second is a longer 5 min video taken off Andros by Grant Johnson of “wild footage of the critically endangered Smalltooth Sawfish (Pristis pectinata). The west side of Andros, Bahamas is one of the last places on Earth that still provides vast refuge for this incredible animal”.
ROLLING HARBOUR ABACO 
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This is awesome I am currently writing a paper on sawfish sightings in the Bahamas with Dr. Dean Grubbs and Dr. John Carlson from FSU and NOAA respectively. We are compiling records mainly from our work in Andros and Bimini. I would love very much to include these more recent sightings. Do you have the contact information for the photographers of the most recent sighting in Bimini and one in the East Grand Bahama NP? I would be extremely grateful. My email address is tristan.guttridge@biminisharklab.com Thank you and kind regards Tristan
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Tristan, thanks for getting in touch and for your related Tweet. I’ll email you right now. RH
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Oh wow, RH, this was truly a treat. I didn’t know sawfish were still around, frankly. What an amazing creature! I watched every video, enjoyed seeing how BIG they are, and their inch long teeth (39 on one sawfish!), and how they stun the fish with the rostrum and then gobble it up. I am happy to see they’re still on this planet, albeit rare, and thrilled to have learned about it here. Many thanks. 😀
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Aren’t they wonderfully prehistoric looking? I’m never sure people watch the videos I add to posts, but then I check my stats and see that some do. Thanks for being one of them!!! RH
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I’m fascinated by swordfish so I really enjoyed reading this post RH. I never knew swordfish were sharks but that seems to make sense, and I like the idea they are nocturnal it seems to make them more mysterious!
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Hi EST – thèse guys are even more remarkable than swordfish, with their rapier-like snouts. They literally have double-edged saws for ‘noses’, looking just like hedge-trimmers. Very primitive and primeval looking – and seriously threatened with extinction… RH
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Poor things, I hope they can make a comeback.
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Reblogged this on "OUR WORLD".
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Thanks for the reblog, Nancy!
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My pleasure RH.
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