Regional Fast Facts: West Africa

Species:

• Two of the world’s five sawfish species occurred in West Africa, the Largetooth and Smalltooth Sawfish

Status: 

• Sawfishes were once common in West Africa (from Mauritania to Angola) and were reportedly caught in great numbers as recently as the 1930s
• Recent information on West Africa status is scant
• Last observations: Gambia was in 1995, Guinea in 1999, Democratic Republic of Congo in 2003, Guinea Bissau in 2011, and Liberia in 2012
• A single sawfish was captured in Mauritania in 2010, the first one seen there in 35 years.
• Guinea-Bissau is the only place in West Africa where the presence of sawfish can be confirmed today, thanks to remote and protected mangroves of the Bijagos Archipelagos

Biology:

• The Largetooth Sawfish and Smalltooth Sawfish most likely shared the same habitats; Smalltooth Sawfish is considered to be more the abundant of the species
• Smalltooth Sawfish are born at 80 cm in length and can grow to at least 5.5 m
• Smalltooth Sawfish reach sexual maturity at around 8-12 years old and live at least 30 years
• Smalltooth Sawfish give birth to 15-20 young every second year
• Largetooth Sawfish are born at 70-90 cm in length and can grow to over 6.5 m
• Largetooth Sawfish reach sexual maturity at around 8-10 years old and live at least 44 years
• Largetooth Sawfish give birth to 1-13 young

Threats:

• In West Africa, Sawfishes have been caught by gillnets, longlines and trawl nets
• Increasing fishing activities and the development of use of nylon monofilament nets, trawling since the 1970s have depleted populations
• Sawfish fins are amongst the most preferred for shark fin soup in Asia; one set can sell for close to USD$4000

Amazing facts:

• “Dégémayéré, pis espada, O kank! ”There are no sawfish”; West African fishermen lament over the demise of these species
• Sawfishes are symbol of strength and courage and have a particular cultural importance within western Africa: they appear on coins and banknotes and have a major place in the cosmogony of certain ethnic groups.
• Sawfishes are the principal symbol of judicial impartiality among several coastal Congo peoples.
• Sawfish feature prominently in proverbs of Cameroon’s Duala people