Common Sawfish

Diagnosis: Rostral blade with 20 or fewer pairs of rostral spines (Ref. 81624).Description: Pristis pristis is characterized by its long and thin rostral teeth, grooved on their hind margin and numbering less than 20 pairs (Ref. 81284, 81624). First dorsal fin originating slightly anterior to pelvic fin origin and base longer than second dorsal fin (Ref. 81284, 81624). Second dorsal fin positioned well posterior to pelvic fins (Ref. 81624). Caudal fin shark-like, with a large dorsal lobe and a reduced, but distinct, small ventral lobe (Ref. 81284, 81624).Colouration: Back brownish-grey to ochre, belly white, greyish-white or yellowish-white and without any distinctive pattern (Ref. 81284, 81624).

Ovoviviparous, embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449).

Oceanodromous. Migrating within oceans typically between spawning and different feeding areas, as tunas do. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.

Inhabits inshore coastal waters to moderate depth, also around offlying islands. Found also in estuaries, lagoons, river mouths, and even freshwater. Feeds on fishes and bottom-living animals. Ovoviviparous. Freshwater populations occur to about 750 km up Amazon River; populations in Lake Nicaragua may be nonmigratory (Ref. 7251)

A euryhaline species (Ref. 57533). Inhabits inshore coastal waters to moderate depth, also around off lying islands. Found also in estuaries, lagoons, river mouths, and even freshwater. Feeds on fishes and bottom-living animals. Ovoviviparous. Apparently can reproduce in freshwater (Ref. 57533). Freshwater populations occur to about 750 km up Amazon River; populations in Lake Nicaragua may be non-migratory (Ref. 7251). Reaches sexual maturity at 8-10 years and females have litters of approximately 1-13 pups. Young spend much of their early life in rivers up to 400 km from the sea (Ref. 114953).

fisheries: minor commercial; price category: medium; price reliability: very questionable: based on ex-vessel price for species in this family