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International Sawfish Day
October 17, 2024
About Sawfish
About International Sawfish Day
International Sawfish Day was established as a collaboration between the Sawfish Studbook Programs of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA ) as well research and conservation organizations to highlight endangered sawfish and the challenges they face in our world's oceans.
Join us in Celebrating Sawfish
Each year International Sawfish Day is celebrated on October 17th. Share messages on social media or plan an event of your own! Planning an event of any size can be simple. Click here to find some ideas and resources to help plan your event!
More About Sawfish
Additional Information
- The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists all 5 species of sawfish as critically endangered on their Red List www.iucnredlist.org . The five recognized species of sawfish are -the green sawfish (Pristis zijsron), the smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata), the largetooth sawfish (Pristis pristis), the narrow sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidata), and the dwarf sawfish (Pristis clavata).
- In the United States, all Sawfishes are protected under the Endangered Species Act and they are listed by the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) on Appendix I which restricts their trade.
- There is still hope! In areas such as the State of Florida, where sawfishes have been protected for many years, their numbers are slowly increasing!
- In 2024, a number of sawfish in Southern Florida were impacted by abnormal spinning behavior believed to be caused by a toxic algae bloom. That event appears to be over, but scientists are monitoring the area closely for any signs of a reoccurrence.
- You can help by learning more about sawfish and the fragile marine ecosystems they inhabit, and by contributing to sawfish research and conservation efforts.
Learn More
For more information about sawfish biology, research and conservation, visit the website of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group https://www.iucnssg.org/sawfish-strategy.html or the Sawfish Conservation Society's website www.sawfishconservationsociety.org
To report a sawfish sighting visit the International Sawfish Encounter Database https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/sawfish/
For information on the recent abnormal spinning behavior of Florida sawfish visit:
https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/health/spinningevent/
If you are interested in donating to the Alan D. Henningsen Memorial Sawfish Research and Conservation Grant fund visit: https://give.seattleaquarium.org/MFTAG and select the fund in the drop down menu.
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