IUCN Red List Sawfishes reas- sessments

Written by Dr Cassandra Rigby

IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group | Assess Working Group | Chair Red List Authority Coordinator

The five species of Sawfishes were last assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2012. As all Red List assessments have a lifespan of 10 years, the five species of Sawfishes are now due for reassessment.

To undertake these reassessments, the SSG Assess Working Group is planning a virtual workshop in ~September/October 2021. The purpose of this workshop is to bring together experts to: • Collate and review available information on population trends, fisheries, threats, and pressures affecting sawfishes; and, • Prepare draft Red List assessments for the five sawfish species.

From previously published Red List assessments, we have some sense of each species’ taxonomy, biology, and distribution. Hence, this reassessment will focus on any new biology and range data and the degree of exposure to fisheries (target and incidental), levels of fishing effort, and species population trends. We will use all available information, including any aggregated catch data, trends in fishing effort, levels of exploitation and habitat changes, to assess species status.

If you have any new information from the past ten years that can contribute to these assessments and are interested in being involved, we would like to hear from you. Your level of involvement can range from contributing information to being closely involved as an assessor. To be considered as an Assessor, we will ask you to complete the online IUCN Red List training course at Online IUCN Red List Training. Online Red List training

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely regarded as the world’s most objective and comprehensive listing of species at risk of extinction. The SSG is responsible for assessing all known shark, ray, and chimaera species for the Red List. If you are interested in understanding the application of the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, there is a freely available online Red List Training course that we encourage all SSG members to at least have a look at: IUCN Red List Training.

The entire course consists of 7 modules and takes approximately 10 hours to complete. A certificate will be awarded upon achievement of a grade of >75% in a final exam (~2-3 hours). This course is necessary for any SSG members that wish to be a part of the Assess Working Group. If you are interested in Red Listing but are unsure what it entails, Modules 1 and 2 of this course give a good overview.

The Online course is available in: English, Spanish, French, Indonesian, Portuguese, Russian and Chinese.

If you are interested in being involved or would like more information on the assessment process or the online training course, please contact Cassandra Rigby, the SSG Red List Authority Coordinator and Assess Working Group Chair at CassandraRigby@ IUCNSSG.com.