Sawfishes are one of the most threatened group of elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) on the planet, with all five-species listed on the IUCN Red List as Endangered or Critically Endangered. In Latin America, the largetooth sawfish (Pristis pristis) was once common from Mexico to Peru; however, over the past two decades the species has suffered significant population declines or has been declared locally extinct from some countries. In Costa Rica, sawfishes are still present, but their status and distribution are uncertain.

According to the Global Strategy for Sawfish Conservation, there are two main actions that are crucial to the recovery of sawfish populations.

First, countries need to minimize and/or mitigate local threats affecting sawfish populations.

Second, countries need to build capacity, undertake research, education and outreach activities.

Our study sites in Costa Rica are included as priority areas in Central America to carry out these two main actions. The global significance of understanding the current status of the Critically Endangered largetooth sawfish in Costa Rica and promoting its conservation throughout this region has inspired our efforts to:

(i) identify critical habitats where sawfishes are still present;

(ii) determine local threats affecting their populations;

(iii) educate/raise awareness to promote a nation-wide conservation strategy; (iv) define effective conservation actions to ensure their long-term survival.