Dr Barbara Wueringer with a sawfish found in Kowanyama. Photo: Sarah O’Hea Miller
Cape York anglers are being called on to help stop the extinction of the rare sawfish this National Sawfish Sighting Week from 26 October until 2 November.
Led by Sharks and Rays Australia (SARA), citizen scientists from across northern Australia are being asked to report any sighting, or lack thereof, to find the remaining sawfish and ensure they do not “disappear quietly”.
Forty years ago, sawfish were regularly spotted in Australia’s tropical and subtropical waters, but today, the critically endangered rays are rarely seen outside of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory and the Kimberley.
Though official registrations to submit data have closed, SARA founder, zoologist and sawfish expert Dr Barbara Wueringer said people were still welcome to come on board.
“They can still register as long as they do that quickly; we’re going to leave it open, because we want as many people involved as possible,” she said.
“With sawfish habitats disappearing globally, we’re in a race against time to find out where these magnificent creatures still exist, and in what numbers.
“We already have a lot of submissions from the Cape – these are areas we know sawfish are found, so we would love to have community involvement, and have people report back during National Sawfish Sighting Week.”
Dr Wueringer said sawfish were easily distinguished by their saw-like snouts, which can extend up to two metres, and are most active in the early morning and late afternoon.
While a sighting would be cause for celebration, she added that reports of non-sightings were just as important.
“When citizen scientists go out and try to spot sawfish, and report sightings and non-sightings back, we can use the ratio to estimate actual population numbers in different locations,” Dr Wueringer said.
“We know there are some hot spots especially in the western Cape York area, but I would expect sightings on the east side as well.
“We have a field work project in Lakeland National Park, but anything north of there, we don’t have too much information, so that would be an area we’re super interested in hearing back from.
“For four out of five sawfish species, north Australian waters may contain their last populations, and we can’t let them quietly disappear.”
To register as a citizen scientist, go to www.sharksandraysaustralia.com/sawfish-week-registration.
