A man who was seen on his fishing boat using a power saw to cut off the nose of a live 12-foot smalltooth sawfish pleaded guilty Friday of killing the endangered species and faces serious consequences for his cruel act.

Chad Ponce, 38, of Jacksonville, Fla., faces up to a year in federal prison and a $50,000 fine when sentencing takes place at a later date, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida reported.

Though not detailed in the report, it is presumed that Ponce had caught the sawfish and wanted to keep the rostrum, so he cut it off before releasing the fish.

The smalltooth sawfish was the first marine fish to receive federal protection as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act in 2003, according to NOAA Fisheries. It is illegal to catch, harm, harass or kill the species, whose name is derived from their distinct rostrum or long, flat snout edged with teeth that looks like a saw.

The rostrum is used to locate and disable its prey, and is believed to also carry sensory cells that assist in it orienting itself to time and location. The smalltooth sawfish cannot survive without its rostrum.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Taylor prosecuted the case that was investigated by NOAA and the Florida Wildlife Commission.

Ponce’s criminal behavior was witnessed on July 18, 2018 off the coast of Ponte Verdra, Fla.

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From NOAA Fisheries:

Smalltooth sawfish live in tropical seas and estuaries (semi-enclosed areas where rivers meet the sea) of the Atlantic Ocean. They are most at home in shallow, coastal waters, and sometimes enter the lower reaches of freshwater river systems. In the United States, they can be found off the coast of Florida. Smalltooth sawfish populations have declined dramatically due to habitat loss associated with coastal development and accidental capture in fisheries…

Safe handling and release guidelines have been developed for fishermen to learn how to respond when they incidentally capture sawfish…

NOAA Fisheries is committed to protecting and rebuilding the U.S. distinct population segment of smalltooth sawfish. Our scientists and partners use a variety of innovative techniques to study and protect smalltooth sawfish, as there is still much to learn about their life history and distribution.

Top photo of smalltooth sawfish courtesy of Wikipedia Commons. Second photo by Torsten Blackwood/AFP via Getty Images.

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