Green Sawfish
Pristis zijsron
Protection Status
Quick Facts
About the Species
The green sawfish belongs to a group of fish—called elasmobranchs—that includes rays, skates, and sharks. The green sawfish is listed as endangered throughout its range under the Endangered Species Act.
Where They Live
Many islands within the Indo-Pacific region contain suitable habitat for sawfish, but few records are available, possibly due to the lack of surveys or data reporting. There is some evidence from the Persian Gulf and Red Sea (e.g., Sudan) of small but extant populations (A. Moore, RSK Environment Ltd., pers. comm. to IUCN, 2012). Green sawfish are currently found primarily along the northern coast of Australia, but all sawfish species have undergone significant declines in Australian waters. The southern extent of the range of green sawfishes in Australia has contracted (Harry et al., 2011). Green sawfish have been reported as far south as Sydney, New South Wales, but are rarely found as far south as Townsville, Queensland (Porteous, 2004).
Scientific Classification
Kingdom | Animalia | Phylum | Chordata | Class | Chondrichthyes | Order | Pristiformes | Family | Pristidae | Genus | Pristis | Species | zijsron |
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Management Overview
The green sawfish is listed as endangered throughout its range under the Endangered Species Act.
Regulatory History
In 2010, NOAA Fisheries received a petition to list six species of sawfish, including the green sawfish, as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. In our 90-day finding, we concluded that the petitioned action may be warranted. After completing a review of the species’ status, we proposed to list the green sawfish as endangered and requested comments from the public. In December 2014, NOAA Fisheries listed the green sawfish as endangered under the ESA.