Citizen scientists to help save shark-like rays

With distinctive toothed snouts that extend up to two metres, sawfish were once a regular and intriguing sight in Australia's tropical and subtropical waters.

But now, the shark-like marine species are among the most endangered rays on the planet and are rarely seen outside the Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory and the Kimberley.

"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," says zoologist and sawfish expert Barbara Wueringer.

"For four out of five sawfish species, north Australian waters may contain their last populations, and we can't let them quietly disappear."

The founder and principal scientist of Sharks And Rays Australia (SARA), a non-profit research organisation based in Cairns, is calling for citizen scientists across Australia's north to step up during National Sawfish Sighting Week.

Sawfish can grow to between three and seven metres and their long, tooth-lined snouts, called rostrum, are full of pores that are sensitive to movement and changes in electric fields, giving them a sixth sense for catching prey.

The stealth predators use their saw-like snout to detect and kill prey, delivering fast swipes that can split a fish in half.

A collaborative study between SARA and scientists from Murdoch University and Newcastle University found the shape of the saw is so streamlined that prey may not even detect when a sawfish swipes at them.

Dr Wueringer encourages everyone from drone enthusiasts to boating and fishing enthusiasts, dog walkers and beachgoers to plan and register sawfish-spotting activities, ensuring they are "croc safe".

"If people are not sure what they're looking at, they should still take a photo or video as we can quickly identify sawfish from other sharks and rays by their fins," she said, adding 'non-sightings' are equally important to report.

"Our sighting campaign has shown that people can see sawfish without targeting them, like when they walk their dogs along a beach, fly their drones, or during boating near mangroves, and this is the information we are interested in," she says.

The winner of the National Sawfish Sighting Week prize draw, who will join a 2025 SARA expedition – spending about two weeks in Queensland's Far North, up to Cape York Peninsula – is also in for a "once-in-a-lifetime experience".

"The Cape is one of the wildest and most remote areas on the planet, and every trip is different," Dr Wueringer says of the region most likely to still hold the highest densities of sawfish.

"Expeditions are a lot of fun, but you never know what's going to happen. We've experienced everything from being caught in a sandstorm to driving through a 20km-long locust swarm … we wanted to take photos, but didn't want to open doors or windows.

"There's also so much beauty, like witnessing incredible sunsets and sunrises, which we see from the boat because a lot of our work happens early morning and late afternoon, or observing sea eagles cruise above us, and hearing stories from Traditional Owners about how every living thing is connected and needs to be protected."