This Conservation Advice was approved by the Delegate of the Minister on 11 April 2014

Approved Conservation Advice for Pristis pristis (largetooth sawfish)

(s266B of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999)

This Conservation Advice has been developed based on the best available information at the time this Conservation Advice was approved; this includes existing and draft plans, records or management prescriptions for this species.

Description

Pristis pristis (largetooth sawfish), family Pristidae, is a large, slender sawfish with a shark- like body; the pectoral fins distinct; the head flattened with a blade-like snout or saw; five pairs of gill slits positioned on ventral surface; pectoral fins broadly triangular with a straight posterior margin; dorsal fins tall and pointed; caudal fin with a short but distinct lower lobe (less than half the length of the upper lobe); 14-24 (mainly 20-22) rostral teeth which start near the rostral-base, with males possessing more teeth than females. Colouration is usually yellowish to greyish dorsally, white ventrally and with posterior margins of the fins a rich yellowish brown (Compagno & Last, 1999; Faria et al. 2013).

The largetooth sawfish is the largest fish found in freshwater in Australia. Individuals up to 280 cm total length have been recorded from freshwater environments (Thorburn et al., 2007) and a 582 cm female has been recorded from the estuarine habitat of the Mitchell River in the Gulf of Carpentaria (Peverell, 2008). Records indicate a maximum size of 656 cm (Compagno & Last, 1999) and maximum weight of 600 kg (Stehman, 1981).

This species was originally listed as Pristis microdon (Freshwater sawfish), but following a review of all Pristidae, the currently accepted full name is Pristis pristis (Faria et al., 2013).

Conservation Status

Pristis pristis are listed as vulnerable. This species is eligible for listing as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) as, prior to the commencement of the EPBC Act, Pristis microdon (Freshwater sawfish) was listed as vulnerable under Schedule 1 of the Endangered Species Protection Act 1992 (Cwlth). Following taxonomic revision, the currently listed name of this species is now Pristis pristis as at 4 October 2013.

In the Northern Territory the species is listed as vulnerable under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2000 and as a ‘no take’ species under the Fisheries Act 1988. In Queensland the species is listed as a protected ‘no take’ species under the Fisheries Act 1994 and Fisheries Regulation 2008. In Western Australia the species is listed as a totally protected fish under the Fish Resources Management Act 1994.

The species is also listed as critically endangered (status A2cd) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Kyne et al., 2013).

Cultural Significance

Fishing of elasmobranchs is a part of traditional fishing practices and historically makes up an important part of the diet of coastal indigenous communities. Indigenous Australians are allowed to take and eat largetooth sawfish for personal, domestic or non-commercial communal needs. Indigenous people are known to catch sawfish species for food and for ceremonial purposes (Thorburn et al., 2007).

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Distribution and Habitat

Largetooth sawfish have been recorded in river and estuarine environments, as well as up to 100 km offshore. They inhabit the sandy or muddy bottoms of shallow coastal waters, estuaries and river mouths, as well as the central and upper reaches of freshwater rivers and isolated water holes, with records of largetooth sawfish up to 400 km inland (Giles, 2007). Largetooth sawfish have an ontogenetic shift in habitat utilisation with neonate and juvenile animals primarily occurring in the freshwater reaches of rivers and estuaries and adult animals being found in marine and estuarine environments (Peverell, 2008).

The generally accepted model of movement and migration of largetooth sawfish in Australian waters is that young are born at the mouths of rivers and in estuaries and then migrate up river where they spend the first several years of life (Thorburn et al., 2004). As they reach maturity they move out of the rivers and into the marine environment.

Within Australia, largetooth sawfish have been recorded in numerous drainage systems in the country’s north in fresh and saline water, including: the Fitzroy, Durack, Robinson and Ord Rivers (Western Australia); the Adelaide, Victoria, Daly, East and South Alligator, Goomadeer, Roper, McArthur, Wearyan and Robinson Rivers (Northern Territory); and, the Gilbert, Mitchell, Normanby, Wenlock, Mission, Embley and Leichhardt Rivers (Queensland).

Globally, largetooth sawfish are circumtropical, with distinct populations in the eastern Atlantic, western Atlantic, eastern Pacific and Indo-West Pacific. The eastern Atlantic population is believed to be extirpated from the Mediterranean part of its former range and severely depleted in its west African range. The western Atlantic population once extended from the United States of America to Brazil, though this population has been extirpated from most of its former range and the status of the remaining population is critical. The eastern Pacific range extends from Mexico to Peru, but little information is available on its distribution. In the Indo-West Pacific largetooth sawfish are now thought to be rare or extirpated across most of their former range (Last & Stevens, 2009; Kyne et al., 2013).

The Australian populations are likely to comprise a high proportion of the Indo-West Pacific population, and are a globally important population (Kyne et al. 2013). There is most likely negligible maternal gene flow in largetooth sawfish between south-east Asia and Australia. Any genetic exchange between south-east Asia and Australia is likely the result of male gene flow (Faria et al., 2013).

Important regions for largetooth sawfish in Australia include: King Sound, and the Fitzroy, Durack, Robinson and Ord Rivers in Western Australia, as they contain significant nursery areas and individuals with unique haplotypes; the Van Diemen Gulf drainages and the Daly and Victoria Rivers in the Northern Territory as they represent an important nursery area that is not fished by commercial fisheries; the Gulf of Carpentaria as it contains unique haplotypes in a number of the rivers; and, Princess Charlotte Bay (Queensland) drainages as they also contain individuals with unique haplotypes (Philips, 2012). All Australian populations are considered to be of high conservation value and hence the actions described below are designed to provide ongoing protection for largetooth sawfish throughout their Australian range.

This species has been recorded in riverine and marine environments across northern Australia and is known to have occurred within most of the subtropical and tropical IBRA Bioregions and Natural Resource Management Regions between Cape Keraudren in Western Australia and Princess Charlotte Bay in Queensland.

The distribution of this species is not known to overlap with any EPBC Act-listed threatened ecological communities.

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Threats

The main identified threats to largetooth sawfish, based on expert opinion, are commercial fishing activities, recreational fishing, Indigenous fishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), and habitat degradation and modification (Department of the Environment, 2014).

Fisheries bycatch includes all non-target species caught while fishing. Largetooth sawfish are known to be caught as bycatch in Australian fisheries, with the potential for interactions to occur in at least eight fisheries. It is not an offence to catch this species while fishing but any captures need to be reported to the relevant state, territory or Commonwealth authority. However, logbook recordings of interactions often fail to identify sawfish to the species level. There is also evidence to suggest that interactions are often under-reported, with observer data from one fishery indicating interactions may be significantly higher than logbook figures would suggest (Evans, 2009). Post release survivorship remains a largely unknown factor.

The recreational catch of largetooth sawfish is banned by legislation in Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland. Any sawfish captured must be returned to the water unharmed and as quickly as possible. The impact of recreational fishing, accidental or intentional, is largely unknown. However, pressure on largetooth sawfish may increase as recreational fishers increasingly access more remote parts of Northern Australia.

Native title holders are allowed to take and eat largetooth sawfish for personal, domestic or non-commercial communal needs. While it is known that Indigenous fishers do catch largetooth sawfish, the extent of the take is unknown.

The primary IUU threat comes from foreign vessels illegally fishing in Australian waters for the shark fin trade. Such fishing has been documented (Field et al., 2009), with evidence indicating that illegal fishing is occurring in the Arafura and Banda Seas (where two largetooth sawfish specimens were recorded from boats out of West Papua). Sawfish rostra and fins are of high monetary value and are thus likely to be highly sought after. However, the magnitude of the IUU threat is currently unknown.

A wide range of habitat-based threats exist for largetooth sawfish. These include: coastal development, removal of mangroves/sea grass and land clearing; barriers in rivers; water quality and sedimentation; interruptions to migration pathways; water extraction; and, destruction of benthic habitat, through bottom trawling. The impacts of these threats are largely unknown and likely to be localised. It is expected that the impacts of habitat degradation will be greater on juveniles because they tend to inhabit fresh water, estuarine and inshore habitats more than adults. Impacts on natural river flow are of particular concern (DSEWPaC, 2012). Dams and barrages across rivers can impede migration (Thorburn, et al. 2007) and significantly affect natural flow regimes.

Potential threats to largetooth sawfish include marine debris and the collection of animals for display in public aquaria.

Marine debris includes: land-sourced plastic garbage; derelict fishing gear from recreational and commercial fishing activities; and ship-sourced, solid non-biodegradable floating materials disposed of or abandoned in marine, coastal and riverine environments (DEWHA, 2009). The likelihood of interaction between marine debris and largetooth sawfish in northern Australia is largely unknown. However, Thorburn et al. (2004) reported an interaction between largetooth sawfish and discarded or lost recreational fishing line, causing serious external injury.

There are currently only a small number of largetooth sawfish held in Australian aquariums. However, it is possible to obtain permits for their collection in some Australian states and territories and the effect of removing individuals from a sub-population is largely unknown.

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Research Priorities

Research priorities that would inform future priority actions include:

• Investigate the magnitude of the impacts of fisheries bycatch, recreational fishing, indigenous fishing and IUU fishing on largetooth sawfish. • Investigate post-release survivorship and the effects of capture and release on the health of largetooth sawfish. • Determine precisely how largetooth sawfish respond to the variety of habitat based threats that impact upon them and develop tools to predict the response of this species to changes in environmental conditions. • Identify important habitats for all life stages of largetooth sawfish, including connectivity between regions and, where possible, produce habitat maps detailing pupping, nursery, feeding and aggregation areas in Australia. • Identify risks to important largetooth sawfish habitats and identify measures needed to reduce those risks. • Design and implement a cost-effective monitoring program, which includes the collection of samples for use in population genetics analysis, to improve knowledge of the life history, distribution, population structure and dynamics, and mortality parameters of largetooth sawfish. • Investigate the extent to which interactions with marine debris, including ghost nets, fishing gear and plastics, are impacting upon the health and survival rates of largetooth sawfish. • Refine and implement techniques (genetic and morphological) to identify largetooth sawfish products, including consideration of the use of DNA barcoding methods, as described by Holmes et al., 2009. • Investigate and quantify the extent of trade in largetooth sawfish products.

Priority Actions

The following priority recovery and threat abatement actions can be done to support the recovery of largetooth sawfish across their range:

Commercial and Recreational Fishing • Promote cooperation and understanding between agencies and commercial and recreational fishers to improve recovery efforts for largetooth sawfish. • Review and improve the ability of commercial fishery monitoring programs to provide accurate (validated) data on the extent of fishery interactions with largetooth sawfish. • Encourage and educate recreational fishers to identify largetooth sawfish to species level and report any interactions. • Consider new management arrangements to reduce commercial bycatch rates and ensure recommended actions are adopted in commercial fisheries. • Enhance the capabilities of enforcement and compliance for recreational and commercial fishery interactions with largetooth sawfish. Indigenous Fishing • In collaboration with Indigenous communities develop and implement a community level program, building on the earlier work of the Yirraman Project, to promote largetooth sawfish conservation and enhance cooperation and understanding between agencies and Indigenous communities. Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported Fishing • Enhance the enforcement capabilities of agencies targeting IUU fishing of largetooth sawfish.

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Habitat Loss, Disturbance and Modification • Implement measures to reduce adverse impacts of habitat degradation and/or modification. Marine Debris • Partner with marine debris organisations to support initiatives that reduce marine debris likely to impact on largetooth sawfish. Collection for Aquaria • Partner with state governments and the aquaria industry to set strict requirements for take from the wild, including continuation of a moratorium on collection of largetooth sawfish until the full extent of risks to local populations is better understood. • Develop and contribute to a conservation-oriented education program in those public aquaria with captive largetooth sawfish. Conservation Information • Develop a portal for the synthesis of information on largetooth sawfish to ensure that decision-makers and resource managers have the best and most up-to-date information available. • Disseminate outcomes of research projects on largetooth sawfish. • Undertake coordinated community education programs, with priority given to those communities where greatest conservation outcomes are likely to be achieved.

This list does not necessarily encompass all actions that may be of benefit to largetooth sawfish, but highlights those that are considered to be of highest priority at the time of preparing the Approved Conservation Advice.

Existing Plans/Management Prescriptions that are Relevant to the Species

Key management documentation available for this species includes:

• National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks 2012 (DAFF, 2012) • Draft Recovery Plan for Sawfish and River Sharks (Department of the Environment, 2014) • Non detriment finding for the Freshwater Sawfish, Pristis microdon (DSEWPaC, 2011) • The Commonwealth Threat Abatement Plan for the Impact of Marine Debris on Vertebrate Marine Life (DEWHA, 2009) • Draft Kakadu National Park Management Plan 2007-2014 (Department of the Environment, 2014b) • Fitzroy River Catchment Management Plan (Rangelands NRM, 2010)

These prescriptions were current at the time of publishing; please refer to the relevant agency’s website for any updated versions.

References

Compagno LJV and Last PR (1999). Family Pristidae: Sawfish. In: Carpenter KE and Niem V (eds). FAO Identification guide for fishery purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.

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Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) (2012). National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks 2012 (Shark-plan 2). Canberra: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Available on the Internet at: http://www.daff.gov.au/fisheries/environment/sharks/sharkplan2

Department of the Environment (2013). Draft Kakadu National Park Management Plan 2007- 2014. Canberra: Department of the Environment. Available on the Internet at: http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/39d19c4b-90db-438b-b1e9- 6b6195988d69/files/draft-issues-paper-sawfish-and-river-sharks.pdf.

Department of the Environment (2014). Draft Recovery Plan for Sawfish and River Sharks. Canberra: Department of the Environment. Available on the Internet at: http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/39d19c4b-90db-438b-b1e9- 6b6195988d69/files/draft-recovery-plan-sawfish-and-river-sharks.pdf.

Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) (2009). Threat Abatement Plan for the Impacts of Marine Debris on Vertebrate Marine Life. Canberra: Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Available on the internet at: www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/tap/marine-debris.html

Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSEWPaC) (2011). Non detriment finding for the Freshwater Sawfish, Pristis microdon. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Canberra.

Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSEWPaC) (2012). Marine bioregional plan for the North Marine Region. Canberra: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Available on the internet at: http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/marineplans/north/pubs/north-marine- plan.pdf

Evans SK (2009). Northern Prawn Fishery Data Summary 2008. NPF Industry Pty Ltd, Australia.

Faria VV, McDavitt MT, Charvet P, Wiley TR, Simpfendorfer CA, Naylor GJP (2013). Species delineation and global population structure of Critically Endangered sawfishes (Pristidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 167, 136-164.

Field IC, Meekan MG, Buckworth RC and Bradshaw CJA (2009). Protein mining the world’s oceans: Australasia as an example of illegal expansion-and-displacement fishing. Fish and Fisheries 10, 323-328.

Giles J, Pillans R, Miller M and Salini J (2007). Sawfish catch data in northern Australia: a desktop study. Report produced for FRDC Project 2002/064 Northern Australian Sharks and Rays: the sustainability of target and bycatch fisheries, phase 2.

Holmes BH, Steinke D and Ward RD (2009). Identification of shark and ray fins using DNA barcoding. Fisheries Research, 95, 280-288.

Kyne PM, Carlson J and Smith K (2013). Pristis pristis. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. Available on the internet at: www.iucnredlist.org

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Last P and Stevens J (2009). Sharks and Rays of Australia. Second Edition. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

Peverell SC (2008). Sawfish (Pristidae) of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia. MSc Thesis James Cook University.

Phillips N (2012). Conservation genetics of Pristis sawfishes in Australian waters. Doctor of Philosophy Thesis. Murdoch University. 2012.

Rangelands NRM Western Australia (2010). Fitzroy River Catchment Management Plan. Western Australia: Rangelands NRM. Available on the internet at: http://webadmin.communitycreative.com.au/uploads/rangelands/publications/Fitzroy RiverCatchmentPlanV1.pdf

Stehman M (1981). Pristidae. In Fischer W, Bianchi G. and Scott WB (eds). FAO Species Identification Sheets for Fishery Purposes Eastern Central Atlantic. Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations.

Thorburn D, Morgan D, Gill H, Johnson M, Wallace-Smith H, Vigilante T, Gorring A, Croft I and Fenton J (2004). Biology and cultural significance of the freshwater sawfish (Pristis microdon) in the Fitzroy River Kimberley, Western Australia. Report to Threatened Species Network.

Thorburn DC, Morgan DL, Rowland AJ and Gill HS (2007). Freshwater sawfish Pristis microdon (Chondrichthyes: Pristidae) in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Zootaxa, 1471, 27-41.

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