Tapping into local ecological knowledge to assess the former importance and current status of sawfishes in Mexico

Information on the occurrence and abundance of the Critically Endangered smalltooth sawfish Pristis pectinata and largetooth sawfish P. pristis across most of their former range is needed for a comprehensive global conservation status assessment. The current presence of both species in Mexico and the rest of Latin America remains uncertain in the absence of dedicated studies. During 2015, we performed the first nationwide study of sawfishes in Mexico. We developed specific materials to survey fishers, raise community awareness, and publicize sawfish conservation needs. We interviewed 794 fishers in 71 localities along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Mexico. Additional data from a similar 2010-2011 survey of 39 fishers in Tabasco and Campeche were also included in the analysis. Both species might be nearly extirpated from Mexico. Interviewees reported modal decadal dates of last sighting as the 1980s for the smalltooth sawfish along the Atlantic coast and as the 1970s for the largetooth sawfish along both coasts. No confirmed reports of recent (