Call for public help to find four rare fish disappearing from Australian waters
The hunt is on to find four species of sawfish that are vanishing from our oceans. Can you help?
Researchers are in a “race against time” to try and spot four of the world’s rarest fish species as they rapidly disappear from the planet. Sawfish were once seen as far south as Sydney Harbour, but they’re now thought to be confined to the Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory and the Kimberley.
Now Aussies are being asked to help search for these odd-looking fish and report what they see. If you think you can help, the plan is easy – hop on a boat, walk along the beach, or even fly a drone, then report what you see on this online form from non-profit Sharks and Rays Australia (SARA).
“The one thing we need to figure out now is the numbers, so we can identify their hotspots,” zoologist and sawfish expert Dr Barbara Wueringer explained to Yahoo News as she conducted fieldwork south of Cairns.
“We need people to report back to us even if they don’t see a sawfish. Because with a normal sighting campaign we only get the positives. But it’s that ratio between seeing the animal and not seeing the animal that actually helps us to determine relative numbers across different locations.”
Related: Hunt for world's last giant fish as researchers find clues in ancient photographs
How big do sawfish grow?
Sawfish are part of the order that includes rays and skates. There are only five species in the world, and four of them are found in Australia. It’s important you’re able to tell the difference between each one, so here’s what to look out for:
Freshwater sawfish (critically endangered). Grows over 7 metres long and lives in fresh and saltwater.
Green sawfish (critically endangered). Has a shark-like body with a surface colour that’s greenish-brown or olive, while its dorsal fins are yellow-grey. Grows to 5 metres.
Dwarf sawfish (endangered). Has a maximum body length of just 3.2 metres.
Narrow sawfish (vulnerable). Because of its flattened head, it’s also known as the knifetooth or pointed sawfish. Grows to 4.6 metres.
How sawfish are changing as numbers decline
All species are distinguishable by their long nose extensions which are lined with sharp teeth. Despite being threatened with extinction, all species are losing out to foreshore property developers and fishermen. But there’s also a black market trade in their body parts that’s driving down numbers.
“People removing their saws is still a big one. People need to understand that the saw doesn’t grow back and the fish will likely slowly starve to death,” Wueringer said.
A 2023 research paper found these highly-prized sawfish saws appear to be getting shorter.
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Green, dwarf and freshwater swordfish take a whopping 10 years to become sexually mature making them more at risk of extinction. The outlook should be slightly better for narrow sawfish as they mature at three, but it faces an added problem caused by catch-and-release fishing.
“They've got biological characteristics that are also problematic, which is that they don't do well when caught, so they may have a high post-release mortality,” Wueringer explained.
National Sawfish Sighting Week 2024 runs from 26 October until 2 November.
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