Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

fearn · 22nd August 2007, 04:58 AM

Hi All,

Just saw a new article on sawfishes. Couple of things in it that are relevant here.

1) I didn't realize when I posted above, but the CITES ban on sawfish trade reportedly goes into effect September 1, 2007. This will ban all international sales of sawfish, dead or alive, whole or in parts.

In addition to international trade, in the US, domestic trade in sawfish will also be banned, since the US follows CITES rules in this regard. Other countries have other rules. I don't know if sawfish bills are like ivory, in that older items are grandfathered in if they have a documented provenance and age. Please check your local laws if you want to sell or buy a sawbill.

2) the reason for the ban is that sawfish have been hammered by coastal development and overfishing (accidental or intentional, see below). Since they grow slowly and reproduce slowly (basically at human rate), every species of sawfish is endangered. Some species are down in the 3,000 animals range.

3) What do people do with sawfish parts, other than carving weapons? According to the article, sawbills are believed to be the most effective tool for repelling demons, disease spirits, and ghosts across Asia (comments?).

So Tim, you can now go into the exorcism business. Have fun!

Bottom line: if you own one of these bills and want to sell it, do it now. Otherwise, it will become an heirloom. Considering how weird and neat these critters are, if you're so inclined, you may want to support conservation and preservation efforts for these species, so that future generations will get to see sawfish bills outside of museums and dusty collections. Realize also that in the old days, they used to get 10 meters long, and now they rarely top three meters, so the longer everyone waits, the bigger they get.

Fearn

22nd August 2007, 04:58 AM	#43
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	Hi All, Just saw a new article on sawfishes. Couple of things in it that are relevant here. 1) I didn't realize when I posted above, but the CITES ban on sawfish trade reportedly goes into effect September 1, 2007. This will ban all international sales of sawfish, dead or alive, whole or in parts. In addition to international trade, in the US, domestic trade in sawfish will also be banned, since the US follows CITES rules in this regard. Other countries have other rules. I don't know if sawfish bills are like ivory, in that older items are grandfathered in if they have a documented provenance and age. Please check your local laws if you want to sell or buy a sawbill. 2) the reason for the ban is that sawfish have been hammered by coastal development and overfishing (accidental or intentional, see below). Since they grow slowly and reproduce slowly (basically at human rate), every species of sawfish is endangered. Some species are down in the 3,000 animals range. 3) What do people do with sawfish parts, other than carving weapons? According to the article, sawbills are believed to be the most effective tool for repelling demons, disease spirits, and ghosts across Asia (comments?). So Tim, you can now go into the exorcism business. Have fun! Bottom line: if you own one of these bills and want to sell it, do it now. Otherwise, it will become an heirloom. Considering how weird and neat these critters are, if you're so inclined, you may want to support conservation and preservation efforts for these species, so that future generations will get to see sawfish bills outside of museums and dusty collections. Realize also that in the old days, they used to get 10 meters long, and now they rarely top three meters, so the longer everyone waits, the bigger they get. Fearn