Fisherman Awaits Sentencing after Pleading Guilty

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WB Staff
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Fisherman Awaits Sentencing after Pleading Guilty

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Man Pleads Guilty to Killing A Sawfish, Awaits Sentencing

According to a press release issued by the Middle District of Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office*, Chad Ponce pleaded guilty on November 1, 2019 to killing an endangered smalltooth sawfish. The commercial shrimp fisherman from Jacksonville was seen removing the rostrum from a live 12-foot smalltooth sawfish with a power saw aboard his fishing vessel off the coast of Ponte Vedra, Florida on July 18, 2018. The case was investigated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Taylor. Ponce faces a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison and a $50,000 fine.

Sawfish are shark-like rays named for their saw-shaped snouts (rostra). Smalltooth sawfish were once found in coastal waters from Texas to North Carolina; however, fishing mortality and habitat loss led to dramatic reductions in both their numbers and range. Now they are regularly found only in southwest Florida, especially in Everglades National Park. Because of these declines NOAA Fisheries listed the smalltooth sawfish as “Endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2003.

Adam Brame, the Sawfish Recovery Coordinator for NOAA Fisheries, stated that because of the protections afforded by the ESA, it is illegal to target, harm, harass, or handle sawfish in any way. While it is technically illegal to catch a sawfish except with a research permit or in a fishery where incidental take has been authorized, captures do occur while fishing for other species. Mortality from incidental captures in both commercial and recreational fisheries is an ongoing threat to this endangered species. It’s the responsibility of all fishers to follow guidance to quickly and safely release without harm all sawfish caught while fishing. Never remove the rostrum as sawfish use it for detecting and catching food. In addition to being illegal, removal of the rostrum severely limits the ability of the sawfish to find enough food to survive, and could result in death from starvation.

The number one rule to remember when releasing a sawfish is to leave it in the water at all times. Do not lift it out of the water onto your boat or a pier, and do not drag it onto shore. Simply cut the line as close to the hook as is safely possible. Brame adds that because of the ESA protections it is illegal to possess a sawfish; removing it from the water is considered possession and is a clear violation of the law. Sawfish are powerful animals that can whip their saw very quickly which can cause serious injury to the angler and the sawfish. Never use a gaff on a sawfish you have caught and never remove the rostrum. These guidelines ensure the safety of both the sawfish and the angler.

Mishandling and the purposeful injury or killing of captured sawfish is both illegal and detrimental to the recovery of the population. The sawfish in this case was among the northernmost sightings along the Atlantic coast in the past few years. A sawfish the size of the one killed was likely around eight years old and just reaching sexual maturity. The removal of it from the population prevented it from reproducing and contributing to the recovery of smalltooth sawfish in the United States.

For more information about sawfish research, conservation, and management in the United States visit www.SawfishRecovery.org.

*Available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/ja ... ng-sawfish
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