AS a young boy, fisherman Mohd Salleh Anifah remembered seeing sawfish caught by villagers in Kampung Tempurung in Kuala Penyu.
“I am nearly 60 years old, and I have not seen any brought up in my adult life,” said Salleh, who has been a fisherman all his life.
“We call it ikan parangan here, but there are two types. One with the saw-like fangs and another without.”
Researchers believe the other type of ikan parangan referred to by the locals is the shovel-head shark, which can still be found at sea.
The sawfish are normally caught in estuaries, rivers or close to the sea shore.
Another fisherman who identified himself as Gaman, from Menggatal, said sawfish could be found near rivermouths.
“Sawfish flesh is less pungent compared with other types of sharks when cooked,” he said.
“As for the jurung (sawfish snout), people would keep it as decorative items or use it for rituals,” he said.
Like Mohd Salleh, Gaman too has not seen any for more than 20 years now.
He showed two such snouts, dried and preserved, which served as a personal collection. Gaman said that was probably the only evidence he could show to point to the existence of the exotic fish.