Glyphis sharks and pristid sawfishes are globally threatened. While some populations still exist in northern Australia, their distributions are poorly quantified. We used catch records from commercial fisheries and independent surveys to estimate the broad distribution and relative abundances of 2 Glyphis sharks (G. glyphis and G. garricki) and 4 pristid sawfishes (Pristis pristis, P. zijsron, P. clavata and Anoxypristis cuspidata) along the coast, estuaries and river systems of the Northern Territory, Australia. Coarse-scale catch data and records from commercial fishing logbooks that report encounters with Threatened, Endangered and Protected species confirm that small, fragmented populations are distributed across the Northern Territory coastline and suggest limited fishery interactions, although underreporting might occur.KEY WORDS: Sharks · Habitat · Fishing · Conservation · Management · Pristis spp. · Anoxypristis spp.
Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherEndang Species Res 21: [171][172][173][174][175][176][177][178][179][180] 2013 tions, thus hindering conservation planning (IUCN 2010). Two species of Glyphis sharks have been described in northern Australia, G. glyphis (the speartooth shark, previously known as Glyphis sp. A) and G. garricki (the northern river shark, previously known as Glyphis sp. C) (Larson 2002, Martin 2005, Peverell et al. 2006, Compagno et al. 2008, Wynen et al. 2009). Both species have restricted distributions; G. glyphis has only been recorded in the Northern Territory (Adelaide River, East, South and West Alligator Rivers, Murganella Creek and Marrakai Creek) and in Queensland (Wenlock and Ducie Rivers, Port Musgrave and the Bizant River) (Peverell et al. 2006, Compagno et al. 2008. The only other record of this species globally is from Papua New Guinea (Compagno et al. 2008). G. garricki is also found in Australia in the Northern Territory (Adelaide, East and South Alligator and Mary Rivers) but unlike G. glyphis, it has also been recorded in Western Australia (King Sound in the Kimberley region) (Taniuchi et al. 1991, Thorburn & Morgan 2004. Similar to G. glyphis, the only other place where this species has been recorded is Papua New Guinea (Taniuchi et al. 1991, Compagno et al. 2008. Both Glyphis spp. are considered extremely rare, although no population estimates are available for either species. G. glyphis and G. garricki are currently listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List (www. iucn redlist .org), and critically endangered and endangered under the Australian Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999, respectively. Due to these classifications, both species are identified as 'key' species for conservation planning (National Oceans Office 2004).There are 4 sawfishes in Australia: the freshwater sawfish Pristis pristis (previously known as P. microdon), green sawfish P. zijsron, dwarf sawfish P. clavata and narrow sawfish Anoxypristis cuspidata (Thorburn et al. 2003, ...
