If sawfish had Tinder, it would certainly be different… But short of being able to use a dating app, there are other ways to encourage fish reproduction. With only four specimens alive in French and Spanish aquariums, the Pristis pristis species is gradually doomed to disappear from artificial ponds. Protected because it is endangered, the largest species of sawfish in the world can no longer be fished to be introduced into captivity. In Brest, Montpellier and Valence (Spain), the three aquariums which are lucky enough to have them have therefore decided to “lend” their animals in the hope of seeing babies arrive. Because if the species is not very common in Europe, it benefits from a bit of luck: it is made up of two males and two females. You can guess what happens next.
A truly exceptional convoy. In October, the Océanopolis center from Brest will see the departure of an imposing aquarium truck in which one of its most famous representatives will swim. Approximately 3.10 meters long, this female sawfish has lived in Brest since 2001 where she gradually became the largest specimen in the scientific culture center. With its pretty serrated rostrum, this ray has dazzled hundreds of thousands of visitors for more than twenty years. But she will soon leave with the difficult task of helping to save her species. In October, she will join Planet Ocean Montpellier where a male a bit younger than her is waiting for her.
“It’s something that has never been done”
The Hérault aquarium, which has two males, will send its second specimen to Valence, where a female sawfish is waiting for it with the same objective: that the two new couples succeed in reproducing. “This is something that has never been done in captivity so we don’t know if it will work. We hope for a lot, but it is possible that nothing will ever happen,” warns Dominique Barthélémy.
Before sending his big fish on a journey, the curator in charge of the living environment in Océanopolis began to accustom him to human presence and change. “For several months, we have approached him more regularly. We opened a second pool in which we bring her to eat. We want to prepare her, so that she doesn’t feel stressed or in danger on the day of departure.” This is not the first time that such a transfer has been made. Océanopolis can notably rely on the journey of a sawfish transported without incident from Gothenburg (Sweden) to Valencia (Spain). “It is not without risk but we are prepared for all eventualities,” assures Nicolas Hirel. The curator of Planet Océan Montpellier is impatient to welcome the female, but he must also prepare to part with one of the two males he has hosted since 2007 and the opening of the aquarium. “They arrived from Australia on December 31. The next day, their transport was prohibited. These are the last sawfish to have transited legally,” recalls the curator.
“One day, we said to ourselves: what if we married them? »
In a few weeks, he will open his pelvis to the female, after a short observation period. After thirty years in office, the curator also has high hopes. “We have been thinking about the possibility of bringing them closer together for years. One day, we said to ourselves: what if we married them? It’s not a small operation but it allows us to significantly increase the chances of mating.”
The question of artificial insemination was fairly quickly dismissed, due to lack of solid knowledge on the reproductive cycle of these animals which are difficult to observe over their length in the natural environment. Listed in Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), the sawfish has seen its populations decimated by overfishing. Over the last thirty years, it is estimated that 80 to 95% of individuals have disappeared. By succeeding in seeing the birth and then breeding of these large rays, the French and Spanish aquariums would achieve a real feat. “As a public aquarium, it is our mission to participate in the conservation of these endangered species. Captivity also allows us to get to know them better,” recalls Dominique Barthélémy. It remains to be seen whether the two couples will match.