The sawfish, a ray with a long, tooth-lined snout, is now considered functionally extinct in Sri Lanka. That means even if a few individuals still swim in local waters, there are not enough of them to form a breeding population. But researchers have found that not all hope is lost: a handful of refuges may still shelter these ancient fish.
A steep decline across Sri Lankan waters
Scientists from Sri Lanka and international institutions reviewed decades of catch records, interviews with fishers, and field surveys. They concluded that the country’s sawfish populations have collapsed. The largetooth sawfish and the narrow sawfish, both once common in estuaries and coastal areas, have all but disappeared. The main drivers: accidental capture in fishing nets, habitat loss, and the high value of their saws in the illegal wildlife trade.
Where sawfish still have a chance
The study identified a few areas where sawfish may still persist. These include the Palk Bay, the Gulf of Mannar, and the lagoons of the eastern coast. These places offer relatively intact mangrove forests and seagrass beds, which are critical nursery habitats for young sawfish. Local fishers in these areas reported occasional sightings, giving researchers a sliver of evidence that the species is not entirely gone.
Why local communities are paying attention
For many Sri Lankan fishing communities, sawfish were once a familiar part of the catch. Their decline is not just an ecological loss but also a cultural one. Fishers told researchers that they rarely see sawfish anymore, and some older fishers recalled when the animals were more common. The study’s authors hope that by pinpointing the remaining refuges, conservation efforts can be focused there, such as promoting safer fishing gear and protecting critical habitats.
The functional extinction of sawfish in Sri Lanka is a stark reminder of how quickly a species can vanish from an entire country’s waters. Yet the identification of a few refuges offers a narrow window for action. Whether those last pockets of survival can be preserved depends on what happens next in those specific bays and lagoons.
