Sawfish: Shark or Ray?

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Sawfishes are fascinating and enigmatic animals that, at first glance, resemble sharks due to their elongated bodies, triangular dorsal fins, and shark-like tails. However, these unique fishes are members of the superorder Batoidea, the group of elasmobranchs that includes stingrays and guitarfish.

Why are Sawfishes Classified as Rays?

Despite their resemblance to sharks, sawfishes possess several key characteristics that classify them as rays:

  • Flat, elongated body: Like other rays, sawfishes have flattened bodies, indicating they spend most of their life on the bottom of shallow coastal waters, estuaries, and rivers. 
  • Gills on the underside: Unlike sharks, which have gills on the sides of their heads, sawfishes have gills located on the underside of their bodies.
  • Pectoral fins fused to the head: Like other rays, sawfishes have large pectoral fins that are fused to their head, extending along their body.
  • Benthic foraging: Sawfishes feed primarily on the ocean floor, using their distinctive toothed “saw” to detect prey and slash through schools of fish to feed.

An Evolutionary Adaptation: Sawfish and Sharks

Sawfishes’ most distinct feature is its “saw,” a toothed long, flattened extension of their snout, known as a rostrum. This unique adaptation serves multiple purposes: it helps the animals defend against predators and functions as an efficient hunting tool. The rostrum is lined with electroreceptive organs called ampullae of Lorenzini, which allow the sawfishes to detect the electric fields produced by prey – like fish and crustaceans – even when hidden under sediment. Using quick, slashing movements, a sawfish can stun or impale its prey before consuming it. This remarkable adaptation makes sawfishes highly specialized predators in their aquatic environments.

Sawfish Species

Sawfishes are arguably the most threatened family of marine fishes in the world. There are five recognized species of sawfish:

  • Pristis pristis 
  • Pristis zijsron
  • Pristis pectinata
  • Pristis clavata
  • Anoxypristis cuspidata

All five sawfish species have experienced historic declines greater than 90%. Consequently, all sawfish species are listed on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered. Their declines are largely due to overfishing, bycatch in trawl and gillnet fisheries, and illegal hunting for their highly-valued saws. In addition, habitat destruction, particularly the loss of coastal mangroves, has severely impacted their breeding grounds.

The Largetooth Sawfish (Pristis pristis): A Giant at Risk

Our team, consisting of scientists and local fishermen, measuring and releasing a sawfish (Pristis pristis), in Panama.

Of the five species, the largetooth sawfish (Pristis pristis) is the largest, growing up to 7 meters in length. Historically, this species was found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. However, overfishing and habitat degradation have led to its disappearance from much of its original range.

In Panama, similar to most of tropical America, the largetooth sawfish was believed to be extinct. Yet, since 2017, our research teams have demonstrated that Darién remains a crucial refuge for this species. Through interviews with artisanal fishers and the use of innovative techniques such as environmental DNA (eDNA), the presence of largetooth sawfish in the region was confirmed.

Notably, our team was the first research team to capture a largetooth sawfish in Central America in over 20 years, marking a significant milestone in sawfish conservation. We have been closely monitoring artisanal fishing landings in the area since 2021, and approximately seven juvenile largetooth sawfish have been observed, thanks to the collaborative work with the local fishing network. 

Taking this into account, we established a network of local fishers committed to protecting the largetooth sawfish. This network, consisting of around 87 fishers from five communities, has been trained in sustainable fishing practices and plays an active role in reporting and safely releasing sawfish when encountered. This initiative could represent the last opportunity for the recovery of the largetooth sawfish population in this region.

Empowering Local Communities for Conservation

Women from the entrepreneurial group showcasing their crafts related to sawfish conservation – MarAlliance.

Community engagement and environmental education are integral to MarAlliance’s marine conservation efforts. We have conducted educational workshops and outreach programs to raise awareness among artisanal fishers and their families about the importance of protecting this sawfish species and its habitats. These workshops not only focus on teaching fishers how to safely release accidentally caught sawfish but also promote sustainable practices that benefit both the local environment and the economy.

A key success of the project has been the empowerment of women’s entrepreneurial groups within fishing communities. These groups focus on generating alternative sources of income, improving living conditions, and reducing reliance on fishing. By producing and selling handicrafts inspired by local wildlife in national and international markets, these women have gained previously unattainable income. This initiative illustrates how sustainable economic activities can enhance autonomy and foster local economic growth.

Our team giving a talk on environmental education and the sawfish at one of the schools in the region.

This collaborative effort strengthens the bond between researchers and local communities and ensures that conservation initiatives are holistic and long-lasting, involving all stakeholders in the protection of marine and freshwater ecosystems.

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Asistente de comunicación (Internship)

MarAlliance es una organización internacional sin ánimo de lucro registrada en EE.UU., Belice, Panamá y Cabo Verde, cuyo objetivo es explorar, facilitar e inspirar cambios positivos para la fauna marina amenazada, especialmente tiburones y rayas, sus hábitats críticos y las comunidades humanas dependientes. Nuestra misión es amplia y ambiciosa, y trabajamos en tres idiomas y en siete países de tres regiones. Ante el declive de muchas poblaciones de megafauna marina, estas especies necesitan una voz fuerte, eficaz y con base científica que las represente para ayudar a los socios dependientes a dar forma a las estrategias y acciones de gestión y conservación para invertir el declive.

Resumen del puesto:

Buscamos a un becario (6 meses) proactivo, con conocimientos digitales y excelente capacidad de redacción y edición de textos, que apoye la creación de contenidos escritos de alta calidad y recursos multicanal para difundir el trabajo que MarAlliance realiza a través de sus plataformas en línea (sitio web, redes sociales, boletín, entre otras) y fuera de línea, y que interactúe con nuestro público externo para contribuir a nuestros objetivos generales de comunicación y marketing. El Asistente de Comunicación dependerá directamente del Coordinador de Comunicación y Marketing, y trabajará en estrecha colaboración con el resto del equipo para apoyarles en los elementos de comunicación de su trabajo.

Las funciones y responsabilidades incluirán, entre otras, las siguientes:

  1. Proporcionar apoyo creativo, editorial y operativo a los proyectos. 
  2. Apoyo en la organización, etiquetado y etiquetado del archivo fotográfico y gestión del archivo de vídeo.
  3. Gestión de la comunidad: Gestionar activamente los canales de medios sociales, así como identificar nuevas tendencias y oportunidades de colaboración. Generar reels y visuales.
  4. Apoyo en la redacción de artículos de blog (SEO) y contenido de boletines. 
  5. Ayudar a construir y desarrollar materiales, herramientas y acciones para campañas (online y offline).
  6. Ayudar en diferentes tareas relacionadas con la comunicación trabajando mano a mano con contratistas externos (desarrollador web, diseñador gráfico…) para mejorar el compromiso de las audiencias externas.
  7. Apoyo en la elaboración de informes de campañas y comunicaciones (Google Analytics, métricas de redes sociales, informes de marketing por correo electrónico).
  8. Como parte del Equipo de Comunicación de MarAlliance, apoyar al Coordinador de Comunicación y Marketing en cualquier otro proyecto de comunicación, coherente con las habilidades y experiencia del titular del puesto, en circunstancias no rutinarias.

Experiencia, conocimientos y aptitudes requeridos:

  1. Licenciatura en comunicación, periodismo, marketing o cualquier disciplina relacionada.
  2. Experiencia en comunicación digital o marketing.
  3. Pasión e interés por la naturaleza, la vida marina y la conservación.
  4. Capacidad demostrada para redactar y presentar comunicaciones creativas.
  5. Presencia y conocimientos de medios sociales y digitales.
  6. Capacidad para realizar múltiples tareas y detectar buenas historias.
  7. Capacidad para trabajar a distancia y cumplir los plazos establecidos.
  8. Conocimientos de diseño gráfico deseables, pero no necesarios.
  9. Conocimientos de edición de vídeo deseables pero no necesarios. 

Salario y prestaciones:

Estipendio durante 6 meses.

Idiomas:

Español, con fluidez en inglés

Localización:

Nacionales o residentes de Panamá, Belice, México, Honduras, Guatemala.

Este contrato será a distancia dentro de las zonas horarias de América, flexible, a tiempo completo y desde casa con hasta un 10% de viajes ocasionales locales e internacionales.

Cómo presentar la candidatura:

Por favor, envíe su currículum, portfolio si lo tiene, y carta de presentación a info@maralliance.org con “MAR-CA_Apellido” en el asunto antes del 21 de marzo, 2024. No se admiten llamadas.

Communications Assistant (Internship)

MarAlliance is an international non-profit registered in the US, Belize, Panama and Cabo Verde that aims to explore, enable and inspire positive changes for threatened marine wildlife – notably sharks and rays – their critical habitats and dependent human communities. Our remit is broad and ambitious, and we work in three languages and across seven countries encompassed by three regions. In the face of declines in many populations of marine megafauna, these species need a strong, effective, and science-based voice to represent them to help dependent partners shape management and conservation strategies and action to reverse declines.

Position summary:

We are seeking for a proactive, digitally savvy Paid Intern (6 month) Communications Assistant with excellent writing and copy editing skills, who will support the creation of high-quality written content and multichannel assets to broadcast the work MarAlliance does through its online (website, social media, newsletter, among others) and offline platforms, and engage with our external audiences to contribute to our overall communications and marketing goals. The Communications Assistant will directly report consistently to the Communications and Marketing Coordinator, and work closely with the rest of the team to support them on the communications elements of their work.

Duties and responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

  1. Provide creative, editorial, and operational project support. 
  2. Support organizing, labeling and tagging the photo archive and video archive management.
  3. Community Management: Actively manage social media channels, as well as identify new trends and collaboration opportunities. Generate reels and visuals.
  4. Support with writing blog articles (SEO) and newsletter content. 
  5. Help build and develop materials, toolkits, and actions for (online and offline) campaigns.
  6. Assist in different communications-related tasks working hand in hand with external contractors (web developer, graphic designer…) to improve the engagement of external audiences.
  7. Support in campaign and communications reporting (Google Analytics, social media metrics, email marketing reports)
  8. As part of the MarAlliance Communications Team, support the Communications and Marketing Coordinator with any other communications projects, consistent with the skills and expertise of the post holder, in non-routine circumstances.

Experience, Knowledge, and Skills Required:

  1. Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, marketing or any related discipline.
  2. Experience working in digital communications and or marketing.
  3. Passion and interest for nature, marine life and conservation.
  4. Proven ability to write and deliver creative communications.
  5. Social Media and digital presence and knowledge.
  6. Ability to multitask and spot good stories.
  7. Capable of working remotely and meeting established deadlines.
  8. Graphic design skills are desirable but not required.
  9. Video editing skills are desirable but not required.

Salary and benefits:

Stipend for 6 month.

Language:

English, Spanish are mandatory.

Location:

Panama, Belize, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala nationals or residents. 

This contract will be remote within the Americas time zones, flexible, full-time and home-based with up to 10% occasional local and international travel.

How to apply:

Please send your resume, portfolio if you have one, and cover letter to info@maralliance.org with “MAR-CA_Last name” in the subject line by 21st of March, 2024. No calls please.