Publish, then perish? Five years on, sawfishes are still at risk in Bangladesh

• Published in: Aquatic conservation Vol. 30; no. 12; pp. 2370 - 2383
• Main Authors: Haque, Alifa Bintha, Leeney, Ruth H., Biswas, Aparna Riti
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.12.2020
• Subjects: alternative livelihood; Baseline studies; Bay of Bengal; behavioural change; bycatch; Coastal zone; Community involvement; Community participation; Conservation; Conservation status; Current data; Data collection; Fishers; Landing sites; Landing statistics; live release; Marine fishes; Populations; Pristidae; Pristis perotteti; Rare species; research–practitioner divide; Risk communication; Sharks; Sundarbans; Threatened species; Bangladesh
• ISSN: 1052-7613; 1099-0755
• DOI: 10.1002/aqc.3403

Sawfishes are highly threatened globally, and current data on their conservation status in the Indian Ocean are limited. A baseline study conducted in 2011–2012 revealed that at least two species of sawfish were still present in Bangladeshi waters and highlighted several important steps that could be taken to prevent populations from further decline. Regular visits to landing sites in the south‐eastern coastal region of Bangladesh were conducted to collect data on sawfish landings. A telephone reporting system was developed amongst shark traders and fishers, to facilitate immediate reporting of sawfish landings. Between 15 October 2016 and 26 December 2017, landings of 25 sawfishes were documented, of which at least 17 were largetooth sawfish Pristis pristis. No evidence of narrow sawfish Anoxypristis cuspidata was observed, which may suggest that this species has become rare. These data were collected 5 years after the baseline study was conducted and after several years of broader efforts to highlight the precarious status of sawfish populations globally. The findings illustrate that largetooth sawfish continue to be landed and that none of the management or community engagement activities previously recommended, in order to reduce catch rates, have been implemented. This is an example of the research–practitioner divide, where published scientific research on a group of highly endangered elasmobranchs has not led to their protection. A strategy for communicating the findings of this study and the critical need for local conservation action for sawfishes to key national and local stakeholders is presented, alongside a suite of actions that can be feasibly implemented in the next 12 months.