Pristis perotteti

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	CHONDRICHTHYES	RAJIFORMES	PRISTIDAE

Scientific Name:

Pristis perotteti

Species Authority:

Valenciennes, in Müller & Henle, 1841

Common Name/s:

English

–

Largetooth Sawfish

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Critically Endangered A2abcd ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2007

Assessor/s:

Charvet-Almeida, P., Faria, V., Furtado, M., Cook, S.F., Compagno L.J.V. & Oetinger, M.I.

Reviewer/s:

Simpfendorfer, C., Kyne, P.M. & Valenti, S.V. (Shark Red List Authority)

Justification:
A large, previously widely distributed marine, estuarine and freshwater sawfish. It has been taken in (former) directed fisheries and is extremely vulnerable to bycatch in virtually all fisheries throughout its tropical Atlantic range. The relationship of this species, to a similar form that occurs in the tropical Eastern Pacific is uncertain, but is currently being investigated, and the present assessment relates only to the Atlantic form. The species has been extirpated from most of its former range and its population status is known to be critical especially in Lake Nicaragua, other Central/South American sites and in West Africa. Artisanal and commercial landings are in decline in regions where it still occurs. Habitat degradation (mainly mangrove destruction) is also a threat. Information on biology and ecology is known only from an overfished population in Lake Nicaragua (Nicaragua), but it is a long-lived species with little capacity to recover from depletion. This species is assessed as Critically Endangered on the basis of observed and inferred declines in abundance in both the Eastern and Western Atlantic where it is believed to have been extirpated from much of its former range. Further data on the biology and trade of this species is being collected.

History:

2000	–	Critically Endangered
1996	–	Endangered

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Western Atlantic: USA (Texas (historically), Louisiana, and occasionally south Florida), Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Caribbean Sea, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Brazil. Eastern Atlantic: Historically reported from: Gibraltar, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zaire, Angola, and also possibly in the Mediterranean Sea. Present reported range: Senegal, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola.
Countries:	Native: Belize; Brazil; Colombia; Costa Rica; French Guiana; Guatemala; Guinea-Bissau; Guyana; Honduras; Mexico; Nicaragua; Suriname; United States (Florida, Louisiana, Texas - Possibly Extinct); Venezuela Possibly extinct: Angola; Benin; Cameroon; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Equatorial Guinea; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Gibraltar; Guinea; Liberia; Mali; Mauritania; Morocco; Nigeria; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Spain; Togo; Western Sahara
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Atlantic – western central; Atlantic – southeast; Atlantic – southwest; Atlantic – eastern central
Range Map:	(click map to view full version)

Population [top]

Population:	The population size of this species remains unknown. Its abundance has been continuously declining over the past few decades to the point that it can now be considered rare or even extirpated in some areas where it was previously considered a common species. Probably the largest or one of the last largest populations survives in the northern region of South America (P. Charvet-Almeida pers. obs).
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	A large-bodied euryhaline sawfish of warm-temperate and tropical waters (>18°C to at least 30°C). Mostly nearshore marine, brackish and freshwater (river and lake) environments (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953b), but adults may occur across the continental shelf. Though not precisely known, it probably spends most of its time on or near the bottom. However, it is also commonly observed in the wild and in public aquaria swimming quite near the surface for extended periods of time. The largetooth sawfish is an adept predator, feeding on a variety of small bony fishes, which it stuns with its saw before consuming, and invertebrates, which it stirs with its saw from the substrate (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953b, McCormack et al. 1963, T.B. Thorson pers. comm). It is ovoviviparous and gives birth to 1 to 13 fully developed young per litter with 7 to 9 young being the most common litter sizes (Thorson 1976). Size at birth is about 76 cm TL (Nicaraguan specimens) or slightly less (around 60 cm TL) for northern Brazil (P. Charvet-Almeida pers. obs). In Lake Nicaragua the breeding season has been reported to be in early June and sometimes July. After a five-month gestation, young are born from early October to perhaps early December (Oetinger 1978). Size and age at sexual maturity for both males and females is 240 to 300 cm at about 10 years old (Thorson 1982b). Mean generation time for this species is thought to be about 16 years (Simpfendorfer 2000). Mean maximum adult size is at least 570 cm TL and as much as 700 cm TL (Almeida 1999), though specimens residing in Lake Nicaragua reach only about 430 cm TL maximum. It attains a maximum weight of at least 608 kg (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953b, Oetinger 1978). Its lifespan in the wild is unknown, although its maximum age is thought to be around 30 years (Cook et al. 2005). Demographic analysis for P. perotteti, based on life history parameters from the Lake Nicaragua stock, produces estimates of intrinsic rates of increase of 0.05 to 0.07 year^-1, and population doubling times of 10.3 to 13.6 years (Simpfendorfer 2000). There is no information regarding its life history characteristics from elsewhere within its range.
Systems:	Freshwater; Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

A large-bodied euryhaline sawfish of warm-temperate and tropical waters (>18°C to at least 30°C). Mostly nearshore marine, brackish and freshwater (river and lake) environments (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953b), but adults may occur across the continental shelf. Though not precisely known, it probably spends most of its time on or near the bottom. However, it is also commonly observed in the wild and in public aquaria swimming quite near the surface for extended periods of time.

The largetooth sawfish is an adept predator, feeding on a variety of small bony fishes, which it stuns with its saw before consuming, and invertebrates, which it stirs with its saw from the substrate (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953b, McCormack et al. 1963, T.B. Thorson pers. comm). It is ovoviviparous and gives birth to 1 to 13 fully developed young per litter with 7 to 9 young being the most common litter sizes (Thorson 1976). Size at birth is about 76 cm TL (Nicaraguan specimens) or slightly less (around 60 cm TL) for northern Brazil (P. Charvet-Almeida pers. obs). In Lake Nicaragua the breeding season has been reported to be in early June and sometimes July. After a five-month gestation, young are born from early October to perhaps early December (Oetinger 1978). Size and age at sexual maturity for both males and females is 240 to 300 cm at about 10 years old (Thorson 1982b). Mean generation time for this species is thought to be about 16 years (Simpfendorfer 2000). Mean maximum adult size is at least 570 cm TL and as much as 700 cm TL (Almeida 1999), though specimens residing in Lake Nicaragua reach only about 430 cm TL maximum. It attains a maximum weight of at least 608 kg (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953b, Oetinger 1978). Its lifespan in the wild is unknown, although its maximum age is thought to be around 30 years (Cook et al. 2005).

Demographic analysis for P. perotteti, based on life history parameters from the Lake Nicaragua stock, produces estimates of intrinsic rates of increase of 0.05 to 0.07 year^-1, and population doubling times of 10.3 to 13.6 years (Simpfendorfer 2000). There is no information regarding its life history characteristics from elsewhere within its range.

Systems:

Freshwater; Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	This species has been fished intensively at various locations within its range, with a dramatic decline in local stocks noted as a result. In Lake Nicaragua (Nicaragua, Central America) Thorson noted large catches of largetooth sawfish during his preliminary visits to Granada in 1963 (T.B. Thorson pers. comm). However, intense fishing efforts for sawfish and the bull shark Carcharhinus leucas in the lake led to rapid decline of stocks of both species (Thorson 1974, 1976, 1980, 1982a, 1987). Taniuchi (1992) did not see any sawfish or bull sharks in the lake during his survey of Central American freshwater elasmobranchs. He noted that during the entire previous season only one of each species had been reported in the fishery. Tanaka (1994) did observe a few specimens of the largetooth sawfish in his studies of Lake Nicaragua. The fisheries for largetooth sawfish in Lake Nicaragua have been characterized by continued effort long after local stocks were practically non-existent. Products recovered from this species are typical of those for other species of sawfishes and include dried saws for curios (primary product), meat for human consumption, fins and to a lesser degree, hides for leather. It is unknown if useable fins are or were recovered from largetooth sawfish for the shark fin trade. Since stocks of the largetooth sawfish in Central America were fished down well before the current surge in interest in shark fins in the mid-1980s, the impact of the sharkfin trade on this species is uncertain but could be important in limiting recovery of the species. The occurrence of this species off the Brazilian coast is historically described as a vast coastal area ranging from the northern to southeastern coast, but recent reports indicate a distribution restricted to the northern coast (Menni and Stehmann 2000). It has been extirpated from the southeastern Brazilian coast and is in decline in other regions as a result of artisanal and commercial fishing. Habitat modifications probably also affect this species, especially mangrove forest reduction. According to FAO data (Food and Agricultural Organization) the contribution of sawfish to the total percentage of sharks and rays landed in the north Brazilian region is large (Bonfil 1994). P. perotteti is routinely fished in north Brazil, having its meat, fins and saws traded (Charvet-Almeida 2002). Local fishermen mention a local population declining over the past 15 years (Charvet-Almeida 1999). Both P. pectinata and P. perotteti are considered threatened species in Brazil (Rosa and Menezes 1996).

Major Threat(s):

This species has been fished intensively at various locations within its range, with a dramatic decline in local stocks noted as a result. In Lake Nicaragua (Nicaragua, Central America) Thorson noted large catches of largetooth sawfish during his preliminary visits to Granada in 1963 (T.B. Thorson pers. comm). However, intense fishing efforts for sawfish and the bull shark Carcharhinus leucas in the lake led to rapid decline of stocks of both species (Thorson 1974, 1976, 1980, 1982a, 1987). Taniuchi (1992) did not see any sawfish or bull sharks in the lake during his survey of Central American freshwater elasmobranchs. He noted that during the entire previous season only one of each species had been reported in the fishery. Tanaka (1994) did observe a few specimens of the largetooth sawfish in his studies of Lake Nicaragua. The fisheries for largetooth sawfish in Lake Nicaragua have been characterized by continued effort long after local stocks were practically non-existent. Products recovered from this species are typical of those for other species of sawfishes and include dried saws for curios (primary product), meat for human consumption, fins and to a lesser degree, hides for leather. It is unknown if useable fins are or were recovered from largetooth sawfish for the shark fin trade. Since stocks of the largetooth sawfish in Central America were fished down well before the current surge in interest in shark fins in the mid-1980s, the impact of the sharkfin trade on this species is uncertain but could be important in limiting recovery of the species.

The occurrence of this species off the Brazilian coast is historically described as a vast coastal area ranging from the northern to southeastern coast, but recent reports indicate a distribution restricted to the northern coast (Menni and Stehmann 2000). It has been extirpated from the southeastern Brazilian coast and is in decline in other regions as a result of artisanal and commercial fishing. Habitat modifications probably also affect this species, especially mangrove forest reduction. According to FAO data (Food and Agricultural Organization) the contribution of sawfish to the total percentage of sharks and rays landed in the north Brazilian region is large (Bonfil 1994). P. perotteti is routinely fished in north Brazil, having its meat, fins and saws traded (Charvet-Almeida 2002). Local fishermen mention a local population declining over the past 15 years (Charvet-Almeida 1999). Both P. pectinata and P. perotteti are considered threatened species in Brazil (Rosa and Menezes 1996).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	The Nicaraguan government imposed a temporary moratorium on targeted fishing for sawfish in Lake Nicaragua in the early 1980s (Thorson 1982), after the population collapsed following intensive fishing in the 1970s. The aim was to allow the population to recover, but no such recovery has occurred (McDavitt 2002a). Protection was bolstered in 2006 with a Nicaraguan ban on fishing for sawfish, but only in Lake Nicaragua. In the USA P. perotteti is protected by several states (Florida, Louisiana), but not Federally. It has been proposed for inclusion in the US Endangered Species Act as either endangered or threatened (comment by LRH May 27th 2010). The smalltooth sawfish Pristis pectinata is on the US Endangered Species List (ESA) (since 2003). This remnant population of P. pectinata in the Gulf of Mexico is considered to have survived because of the benefits of large marine and coastal protected areas, including the establishment of the Everglades National Park in 1947, and as a result of a number of conservation measures during the 1990s, primarily species protection in Florida and Louisiana and a ban on all forms of entangling fishing nets in Florida State waters (Simpfendorfer 2002). The decline in this population may have ceased as a result of these measures. The state of Texas prohibited catch of smalltooth sawfish in concert with the ESA listing and has proposed similar action for largetooth sawfish based on similarity of appearance. In January 2006, eBay announced it would ban the sale of smalltooth sawfish parts and products on their on-line auction site. This measure will require vigilant monitoring within eBay and with the help of outside experts. A similar ban on the largetooth sawfish has not been established to date. The Brazilian Environment Ministry edited a federal law (MMA-IN05/2004) that has also considered it a threatened species and indicated that it should be protected. Enforcement of this protection has been a great challenge. Further appropriate protection measures and fisheries controls are required to prevent this species from being extirpated where populations still persist. All species of Pristidae have been listed under Appendix I of CITES (2007), except Pristis microdon which is listed under Appendix II (comment by LRH May 27th 2010).

Conservation Actions:

The Nicaraguan government imposed a temporary moratorium on targeted fishing for sawfish in Lake Nicaragua in the early 1980s (Thorson 1982), after the population collapsed following intensive fishing in the 1970s. The aim was to allow the population to recover, but no such recovery has occurred (McDavitt 2002a). Protection was bolstered in 2006 with a Nicaraguan ban on fishing for sawfish, but only in Lake Nicaragua.

In the USA P. perotteti is protected by several states (Florida, Louisiana), but not Federally. It has been proposed for inclusion in the US Endangered Species Act as either endangered or threatened (comment by LRH May 27th 2010).

The smalltooth sawfish Pristis pectinata is on the US Endangered Species List (ESA) (since 2003). This remnant population of P. pectinata in the Gulf of Mexico is considered to have survived because of the benefits of large marine and coastal protected areas, including the establishment of the Everglades National Park in 1947, and as a result of a number of conservation measures during the 1990s, primarily species protection in Florida and Louisiana and a ban on all forms of entangling fishing nets in Florida State waters (Simpfendorfer 2002). The decline in this population may have ceased as a result of these measures. The state of Texas prohibited catch of smalltooth sawfish in concert with the ESA listing and has proposed similar action for largetooth sawfish based on similarity of appearance.

In January 2006, eBay announced it would ban the sale of smalltooth sawfish parts and products on their on-line auction site. This measure will require vigilant monitoring within eBay and with the help of outside experts. A similar ban on the largetooth sawfish has not been established to date.

The Brazilian Environment Ministry edited a federal law (MMA-IN05/2004) that has also considered it a threatened species and indicated that it should be protected. Enforcement of this protection has been a great challenge.

Further appropriate protection measures and fisheries controls are required to prevent this species from being extirpated where populations still persist.

All species of Pristidae have been listed under Appendix I of CITES (2007), except Pristis microdon which is listed under Appendix II (comment by LRH May 27th 2010).

Bibliography [top]

	Adams, W.F. 2005. Smalltooth or wide sawfish Pristis pectinata. In: S.L. Fowler, R.D. Cavanagh, M. camhi, G.H. Burgess, G.M. cailliet, S.V. Fordham, C.A. Simpfendorfer and J.A. Musick (eds). Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras: The Status of the Chondrichthyan Fishes, pp. 324-325. IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. Adams, W.F. and Wilson, C.R. 1996. The status of the smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata Latham 1794 (Pristiformes; Pristidae) in the United States. Chondros 6(4): 1-5. Almeida, Z. 1999. Levantamento e ocorrência de elasmobrânquios capturados pela pesca artesanal no litoral do Maranhão. Bol. SBEEL 4: 10. Almeida, Z.S. 1998. Dinâmica populacional de elasmobrânquios na Costa do Maranhão. REVIZEE, Relatorio final. Universidade Federal do Maranhão. Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B (editors and compilers). 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. Baughman, J.L. 1943. Notes on sawfish, Pristis perotteti Muller and Henle, not previously reported from the waters of the United States. Copeia 1943: 43-48. Beebe W. and Tee-Van, J. 1941. Fishes from the Tropical eastern Pacific. Part 3: Rays, mantas and Chimaeras. Zoologica 26: 245-280. Bigelow, H.B. and Schroeder, W.C. 1953. Fishes of the Western North Atlantic. Part 2: Sawfishes, Guitarfishes, Skates and Rays; Chimaeroids. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. Bonfil, R. 1994. Overview of world elasmobranch fisheries. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper 341. FAO, Rome. Breder Jr., C.M. 1952. On the utility of the saw in the sawfish. Copeia 2: 90?91. Carvalho, M.R. de, Séret, B. and Schelly, R.C. In press. Pristidae. In: M.L.J. Stiassny, G.G. Teugels and C.D. Hopkins (eds). The fresh and brackish water fishes of Lower Guinea, West-Central Africa. MRAC, IRD, MNHN & AMNH. Charvet-Almeida, P. 1999. General information from Sawfishes in Pará State, north Brazil. Bol. SBEEL 4: 12. Charvet-Almeida, P. 2002. Sawfish trade in the North of Brazil. Shark News 14: 9. Chirichigno, N. and Cornejo, M. 2001. Catalogo Comentado de los peces marinos del Perú. Publicación Especial. Instituto del Mar del Perú. Compagno, L.J.V. and Cook, S.F. 1995. The exploitation and conservation of freshwater elasmobranchs: status of taxa and prospects for the future. The biology of Freshwater elasmobranchs. The Journal of Aquariculture and Aquatic Science. 7: 62?90. Compagno, L.J.V. and Cook, S.F. 2005. Order Pristiformes, sawfishes. In: S.L. Fowler, M. Camhi, G.H. Burgess, G.M. Cailliet, S.V. Fordham, R.D. Cavanagh, C.A. Simpfendorfer, and J.A. Musick (eds) Sharks, rays and chimaeras: the status of the chondrichthyan fishes. IUCN SSC, Cambridge, UK and Gland, Switzerland. Compagno, L.J.V., Ebert, D.A. and Smale, M.J. 1989. Guide to the sharks and rays of Southern Africa. Struik, Cape Town. 160 pp. Cook, S.F., Compagno, L.J.V. and Oetinger, M.I. 2005. Largetooth sawfish Pristis perotteti. In: S.L. Fowler, M. Camhi, G.H. Burgess, G.M. Cailliet, S.V. Fordham, R.D. Cavanagh, C.A. Simpfendorfer, and J.A. Musick (eds). Sharks, rays and chimaeras: the status of the chondrichthyan fishes, pp. 325-327. IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. Day, F. 1873. Report on the fresh water fish and fisheries of India and Burma. Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta. Doumbouya, F. 2004. Rapport sur la preparation du PAN-Requin Guinéen et le dossier de la raie Pristis. [Report to the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission from the Départment Pêche Artisanale]. Ministere de la Pêche et de l?Aquaculture. Conakry, Republic de Guinée. Evermann, B.W. and Bean, B.A.1898. Indian River and its fisheries. U.S. Comm. Fish and Fisheries. Report of the Commissioner for the year ending June 1896. Part XXII. Government Printing Office, Washington, USA. Faria, V.V. and McDavitt, M.T. In prep. Taxonomy review of the sawfish (Chondrichthyes, Pristidae). Figueiredo, J.L. 1977. Manual de Peixes Marinhos do Sudeste do Brasil I. Introdução, Cações, raias e quimeras. São Paulo: Museu de Zoologia Universidade de São Paulo. Fowler, H.W. 1936. The marine fishes of West Africa. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 70: 1493. Fowler, H.W. 1941. The fishes of the groups Elasmobranchii, Holocephali, Isospondyli, and Ostariophysi obtained by United States Bureau of Fisheries Steamer Albatross in 1907 to 1910, chiefly in the Philippines Islands and adjacent seas. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (100) 13: 1-879. Gadig, O.B.F., Bezerra, M.A., Feitosa, R.D. and Furtado-Neto, M.A. 2000. Ictiofauna marinha do Estado do Ceará, Brasil: I. Elasmobranchii. Arquivos de Ciências do Mar, Fortaleza. 33:51-56. Goode, G.B. 1884. The fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States. Section 1. Natural History of Useful Aquatic Animals. Government Printing Office, Washington, USA.. Henshall, J.A. 1895. Notes on fishes collected in Florida in 1892. Bulletin of the US Fisheries Commission 14(1894): 209-221. Hilton-Taylor, C. 2000. 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. IUCN. 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 12th September 2007). IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group. Specialist Group website. Available at: http://www.iucnssg.org/. Jordon, D.S. and Evermann, B.W. 1896. The Fishes of North and Middle America. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 47(1): 1-1240. Krefft, G. and Stehmann, M. 1973. Pristidae. In: J.C. Hureau and T. Monod (eds). Check-list of the Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and of the Mediterranean (CLOFNAM), pp. 51-52. UNESCO, Paris. Last, P.R. and Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO, Australia. McCormack, H.W., Allen, T. and Young, W.E. 1963. Shadows in the Sea. Chilton Books. McDavitt, M.T. 2002. Lake Nicaragua revisited: conversations with a former sawfish fisherman. Shark News 14: 5. McDavitt, M.T. and Charvet-Almeida, P. 2004. Quantifying trade in sawfish rostra two examples. Shark News 16: 10-11. Menni, R.C. and Stehmann, M.F.W. 2000. Distribution, environment and biology of batoid fishes off Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, a review. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales (Nueva Serie) 2(1): 69-109. Misra, K.S. 1969. Elasmobranchii and Holocephali. In: M.L. Roonwal (ed.) The fauna of India and the adjacent countries. Pisces (second edition). Zoological Survey of India Series. Government of India Press, Faridabad. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 2006. Recovery Plan for Smalltooth Sawfish (Pristis pectinata). Smalltooth Sawfish Recovery Team for the National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, Maryland. Oetinger, M.I. 1978. The post-embryonic development of the sawfish, Pristis perotteti Mueller and Henle 1841. MSc. Thesis. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA. Penrith, M.J. 1978. An annotated checklist of the inshore fishes of Southern Angola. Cimbebasia Ser A 4(11): 180-190. Poulakis, G.R. and Seitz, J.C. 2004. Recent occurrence of the smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata (Elasmobranchiomorphi: Pristidae), in Florida Bay and the Florida Keys, with comments on sawfish ecology. Florida Scientist 67: 27-35. Rosa, R.S. and Menezes, N.A. 1996. Relação preliminar das espécies de peixes (Pisces, Elasmobranchii, Actinopterygii) ameaçadas no Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 13(3): 647?667. Saine, A. 2004. Sawfishes and other highly endangered shark species in the Gambia. Report to the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission from the Fisheries Department, Banjul, Gambia. Sampaio, C.L.S., Gadig, O.B.F. and Olavo, G. 2000. Levantamento das espécies de peixes cartilaginosos do litoral da Bahia, Nordeste do Brasil. Santos, Resumos da II Reunião da SBEEL. Simpfendorfer, C.A. 2000. Predicting population recovery rates for endangered western Atlantic sawfishes using demographic analysis. Environmental Biology of Fishes 58: 371-377. Simpfendorfer, C.A. 2002. Smalltooth Sawfish: The USA's First Endangered Elasmobranch? Endangered Species UPDATE 19: 45-49. Simpfendorfer, C.A. and Wiley, T.R. 2005. Determination of the distribution of Florida's remnant sawfish population and identification of areas critical to their conservation. Final Report. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tallahassee, Florida. Snelson Jr., F.F. and Williams, S.E. 1981. Notes on the occurrence, distribution, and biology of elasmobranch fishes in the Indian River Lagoon system, Florida. Estuaries 4:110?120. Stehmann, M. 1990. In: J.-C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Sandanha (eds). Checklist of the Fishes of the Eastern Tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA), pp. 51-54. JNICT, Portugal, Union Européene d'Ichtyologie, Paris, UNESCO. Swingle, H.A. 1971. Biology of Alabama estuarine areas - cooperative Gulf of Mexico estuarine inventory. Alabama Marine Resources Bulletin No. 5. Tanaka, T. 1994. Research of freshwater elasmobranchs in Lake Nicaragua. Report of the Japanese Society for Elasmobranch Studies 31: 26-34. [Text in Japanese, abstract in English]. Taniuchi, T. 1992. Report on preliminary investigation of freshwater elasmobranchs in Mexico and Central America. Report of Japanese Society for Elasmobranch Studies 29: 33-49. (Japanese text with English abstract). Thorson, T.B. 1974. Of the sawfish, Pristis perotteti, in the Amazon River with notes on P. pectinata. Copeia 1974(2): 560-564. Thorson, T.B. 1976. Observations on the reproduction of the sawfish, Pristis perotteti, in Lake Nicaragua, with recommendations for its conservation. In: T.B. Thorson (ed.) Investigations of the ichthyofauna of Nicaraguan lakes, pp. 641-650. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Thorson, T.B. 1980. La explotacion excesiva del pez sierra, Pristis perotteti, en el Lago Nicaragua. ConCienca 7(1): 11-13. Thorson, T.B. 1982a. The impact of commercial exploitation on sawfish and shark populations in Lake Nicaragua. Fisheries 7(2): 2-10. Thorson, T.B. 1982b. Life history implications of a tagging study of the largetooth sawfish, Pristis perotteti, in the Lake Nicaragua-Rio San Juan system. Environmental Biology of Fishes 7: 207-228. Thorson, T.B. 1987. Human impacts on shark populations. In: S.F. Cook. Sharks-an inquiry into biology, behavior, fisheries and use. Oregon State University. Vakily, J.M., Camara, S.B., Mendy, A.N., Marques, V., Samba, B., Santos, A.J. dos., Sheriff, M.F., Ould Taleb Sidi, M. and Pauly, D. 2002. Poissons marins de la sous-région Africaine. EUR 20379 FR. European Commission, Brussels. Van der Elst, R. 1981. A guide to the common sea fishes of Southern Africa. Capetown, C. Struik. Wallace, J.A. 1967. The batoid fishes of the east coast of southern Africa. Part I: Sawfishes and guitarfishes. South African Association for Marine Biological Research. Oceanographic Research Institute, Investigational Report 15.

Adams, W.F. 2005. Smalltooth or wide sawfish Pristis pectinata. In: S.L. Fowler, R.D. Cavanagh, M. camhi, G.H. Burgess, G.M. cailliet, S.V. Fordham, C.A. Simpfendorfer and J.A. Musick (eds). Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras: The Status of the Chondrichthyan Fishes, pp. 324-325. IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Adams, W.F. and Wilson, C.R. 1996. The status of the smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata Latham 1794 (Pristiformes; Pristidae) in the United States. Chondros 6(4): 1-5.

Almeida, Z. 1999. Levantamento e ocorrência de elasmobrânquios capturados pela pesca artesanal no litoral do Maranhão. Bol. SBEEL 4: 10.

Almeida, Z.S. 1998. Dinâmica populacional de elasmobrânquios na Costa do Maranhão. REVIZEE, Relatorio final. Universidade Federal do Maranhão.

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Citation:	Charvet-Almeida, P., Faria, V., Furtado, M., Cook, S.F., Compagno L.J.V. & Oetinger, M.I. 2007. Pristis perotteti. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2012.
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