Via The Ocean Conservancy:

Help Protect Sawfish

Smalltooth sawfish used to be common along the coast from Texas to North Carolina and found seasonally as far north as New York. Today this imperiled species is rarely found outside Southwest Florida. Fishing gear entanglement and habitat destruction have devastated sawfish populations. Scientists estimate that the U.S. population has declined by 99%.

In 1999, The Ocean Conservancy petitioned the federal government to list the smalltooth sawfish as endangered; in 2003, the species was finally listed. Our staff and the rest of the government’s sawfish recovery team have worked ever since to develop a sound plan to bring sawfish back from the brink of extinction. The plan promotes research into sawfish habits and needs, reduction in the number of sawfish accidentally caught in fishing gear, safe handling and release of animals that are captured, and protection of the coastal habitats (particularly mangroves) that are essential to sawfish. These proposed actions are critical to preventing sawfish extinction and yet will not be carried out without strong and vocal support from the public.

Please take action today and tell the federal government that you strongly support full implementation of the sawfish recovery plan.