The smalltooth sawfish, Pristis pectinata, is one of the largest and most distinctive species of ray in the world. This species was once distributed throughout the Gulf of Mexico coast and along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. However, decades of capture in fisheries, loss of nursery habitats to coastal development and a low reproductive potential have caused the population to dwindle to a small fraction of its original size. Today, smalltooth sawfish are found regularly only in the waters of Southwest Florida and they face the real possibility of becoming extinct in this country. In recognition of this potential extinction, the National Marine Fisheries Service listed this species as Endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2003.