Sawsharks (Pristiophorus Spp.)

I & I NSW Wild Fisheries research Program Sawsharks (Pristiophorus spp.)

Exploitation Status undefined

Little information is available to assess stock status. Biological information from local populations should be collected.

Scientific name Standard name comment

Pristiophorus cirratus common sawshark The majority of NSW catch.

Pristiophorus nudipinnis southern sawshark Occurs from southern NSW to central SA.

Pristiophorus cirratus Image © Bernard Yau

Background Biological data collected off NSW for the Sawsharks (family Pristiophoridae) are relatively common sawshark showed that males matured small sharks (< 150 cm total length (TL)) at about 80 cm TL while the largest measured characterised by a narrow blade-shaped snout was 112 cm TL weighing about 2.7 kg. Females with numerous slender, sharp spines along its matured at about 90 cm and grew to a margins. Sawsharks should not be confused maximum of about 125 cm (~3.5 kg). with the large tropical sawfishes which also Sawsharks are viviparous (trophodermic – the possess a long saw-like snout; sawfishes live in developing young receive some nutrients shallow seas, estuaries and rivers, and can grow through the mother’s uterine epithelium) to seven metres in length. and give birth to fully developed young after Of the three Australian sawshark species, two a gestation period of at least 12 months. are distributed around southern Australia, Common sawsharks generally give birth to and the third is found in deepwater off about 11 pups (range 6 to 22) which vary in size northern Queensland. The common sawshark between 35 and 38 cm TL. Southern sawsharks (Pristiophorus cirratus) is the main species caught also average about 11 pups (range 7 to 14) but in NSW waters. It is found mainly in outer they are smaller (30 to 35 cm TL). shelf and upper slope depths (40-630 m), and Sawsharks are a minor component of the its known distribution is from northern NSW Commonwealth managed Southern Shark (Coffs Harbour) to Jurien Bay (WA), including Fishery, where their status is considered to be Tasmania. The southern sawshark P. nudipinnis ‘uncertain’ - landings by Commonwealth fishers occurs from central NSW to Eyre (WA) in the in 2008 were about 250 t. Great Australian Bight, in depths to at least 110 m. The small NSW catch is taken almost totally by trawling. Sawsharks are only occasionally taken by recreational fishers.

status of fisheries resources in nsw, 2008/09 Sawsharks | p 267 wild fisheries research program

Additional Notes Landings by Commercial Fishery of Sawsharks • P. cirratus is the main species taken off NSW Ocean Prawn Trawl (Key Secondary Species) - annual landings have fluctuated between Fish Trawl (Key Secondary Species) 10 and 30 t in recent years. 35 • This group should not be confused with the 30 sawfish family (Pristidae). 25 • The Commonwealth has imposed a total allowable catch (312 t in 2008) on sawsharks 20 Landings (t) taken in the Southern Shark Fishery. 15

• Sexed length frequency data are available 10

from Kapala (Fisheries Research Vessel) data, 5

but there are no useful size composition data 0 from the commercial fishery. 97/98 99/00 01/02 03/04 05/06 07/08

Financial Year Reported landings of sawsharks by NSW commercial Catch fisheries from 1997/98. Fisheries which contribute less than 2.5% of the landings are excluded for clarity and Recreational Catch of Sawsharks privacy. The annual recreational harvest of sawsharks in NSW is likely to be less than one tonne.

Catch Per Unit Effort Information of Sawsharks Historical Landings of Sawsharks Harvested by Fish Trawling in NSW 40 1.0 0.8 30 0.6 20 Landings (t) 0.4 Relative Catch Rate 10 0.2 0 0.0 90/91 92/93 94/95 96/97 98/99 00/01 02/03 04/05 06/07 08/09 93/94 98/99 03/04 08/09 Financial Year Financial Year Commercial landings (including available historical Catch rates of sawsharks harvested using fish trawling records) of sawsharks for NSW from 1990/91 to 2008/09 for NSW. Two indicators are provided: (1) median catch for all fishing methods. rate (lower solid line); and (2) 90th percentile of the catch rate (upper dashed line). Note that catch rates are not a robust indicator of abundance in many cases. Caution should be applied when interpreting these results.

p 268 | Sawsharks status of fisheries resources in nsw, 2008/09

Length Frequency of Sawsharks Wilson, D., R. Curtotti, G. Begg and K. Phillips, Eds.

0.12 1992/93−1996/97 (2009). Fishery Status Reports 2008: status of fish n = 2362 stocks and fisheries managed by the Australian 0.10 Government. Canberra, Bureau of Rural Sciences & Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource 0.08 Economics.

0.06 Yearsley, G.K., P.R. Last and R.D. Ward (1999). Australian Proportion

0.04 Seafood Handbook. Hobart, CSIRO Marine Research. 0.02 Please visit the CSIRO website, 0.00 http://www.marine.csiro.au/caab/ and search for 20 40 60 80 100 120 the species code (CAAB) 37 023003, 37 023002 and TL (cm) 37 023001, common name or scientific name to find The length distribution of sawsharks caught during trawl further information. surveys by the Fisheries Research Vessel Kapala was comprised mainly of sharks between 40 and 120 cm total length (TL - including the length of the ‘saw’). There is no minimum legal length for sawsharks in NSW.

Further Reading Gomon, M.F., J.C.M. Glover and R.H. Kuiter (1994). The Fishes of Australia’s South Coast. Adelaide, State Print. Hutchins, B. and R. Swainston (1999). Sea Fishes of Southern Australia - Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Smithfield, NSW, Gary Allen Pty Ltd. Last, P.R. and J.D. Stevens (1994). Sharks and Rays of Australia. Melbourne, CSIRO. Punt, A.E., T.I. Walker and A.S. Gason (2004). Initial assessments of sawshark (Pristiophorus cirratus and P. nudipinnis) and elephant fish Callorhinchus( milii). In: G. N. Tuck and A. D. M. Smith (eds), Stock assessment for South East and Southern Shark Fishery Species FRDC Project No 2001/005. Hobart, Tasmania, CSIRO Marine Research: 335-369 pp. Walker, T.I. and R.J. Hudson (2005). Sawshark and elephant fish assessment and by-catch evaluation in the Southern Shark Fishery. Final Report, FRDC project 1999/103. Victoria, Primary Industries Research.

© State of New South Wales through Industry and Investment NSW 2010. You may copy, distribute and otherwise freely deal with this publication for any purpose, provided that you attribute Industry and Investment NSW as the owner.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at the time of writing (April 2010). However, because of advances in knowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that information upon which they rely is up to date and to check currency of the information with the appropriate officer of Industry and Investment NSW or the user’s independent adviser.

Sawsharks | p 269 wild fisheries research program

p 270 | Sawsharks