Sawfish

Northern Australia is one of the last global strongholds for the world’s sawfish, with four of the world’s five species living in these waters.
Sawfish are threatened with extinction from commercial fishing, changing water regimes because of climate change, and habitat modification. 

Threatened Status in Australia: 

  • Freshwater (Largetooth) sawfish – Critically endangered (IUCN/Australian Red List); Vulnerable (EPBC Act 1999)   
  • Green sawfish – Critically endangered (IUCN/Australian Red List); Vulnerable (EPBC Act 1999) 
  • Dwarf sawfish – Critically endangered (IUCN//Australian Red List); Vulnerable (EPBC Act 1999)
  • Narrow(tooth) sawfish- Critically endangered (IUCN//Australian Red List); not listed (EPBC Act 1999)  

Location: 

  • Freshwater (Largetooth) sawfish – QLD, NT, WA
  • Green sawfish – QLD, NT, WA, NSW (presumed extinct)
  • Dwarf sawfish – QLD, NT, WA
  • Narrow(tooth) sawfish – QLD, NT, WA

Sawfish are arguably the most iconic-looking rays thanks to their saw-like snout (rostrum) that can be up to 2m long, making up around one quarter of the total length of the animal. Sawfish are among the world’s most endangered fishes¹, and to save our sawfish, we must put in stronger levels of protection for them and reduce fishing pressure. 

About Sawfish

  • Sawfish are, in fact, rays. Unlike sharks, rays have their gills on the underside, whereas sharks have gills on the sides.
  • Newborn sawfish are born with their saws covered in a sheath of tissue to protect the mother.
  • As the name suggests, freshwater sawfish are the only sawfish to live in freshwater. They’ve been found as far inland as 800 km south of the coastal city of Darwin and are depicted nearby in rock art by First Nations people of Australia.²
  • All other sawfish typically travel as far upstream as the tide reaches, where the water is still a little salty.
  • Their ‘saws’ (rostrum) are used for defence, detecting and chopping up prey such as other fish.
  • Sawfish have some of the most expensive fins in the fin trade, fetching approximately US$4000 for a set, and their saws can sell for US$100’s as trophies or curios³.
  • Sawfish have lost over half their habitat worldwide. Australia is a ‘lifeboat’ for four of the world’s five species. Northern Australia represents one of the last viable populations, thanks mainly to its remoteness and relatively untouched coastline.
  • Although the exact sawfish populations in Australia are unknown, they are acknowledged to have experienced dramatic declines due to historical fishing. They are presumed extinct in NSW (last seen in 1972)⁴, and have largely disappeared from the entire east coast of Australia (with the exception of the narrow sawfish).

Why are sawfish endangered in Australia?

Historical fishing pressures are primarily to blame for the dramatic decline in sawfish numbers. Because of their saw-like snout—or ‘rostrum’— they’re easily caught in gillnets and trawler nets that scour the seafloor where they live. Fishing pressures have been so significant that many sawfish have nearly all but disappeared from the entire east coast of Australia (with exception to the narrow sawfish).⁵

Although it is now illegal to target sawfish when fishing, many fishers in the past targeted them for their sheer size (up to 7m long!) and to keep their saw as a trophy. It’s not uncommon to come across pubs and homes across northern Australia that have trophy saws on their walls – so much so that researchers have asked people to report sightings or photos of saws to get an idea of their historical distribution!⁶

In 2000, sawfish were first listed for protection under Australia’s nature laws, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Although it is illegal to target or trade sawfish, there are still weaknesses in their protection under the EPBC Act. Dwarf, freshwater and green sawfish are currently listed as “Vulnerable”⁷ but this classification is outdated as a scientific assessment.

In 2021, scientists reassessed two of Australia’s sawfish (green, freshwater) as “Critically Endangered”, one (dwarf) as “Endangered” and one (narrow) as “Vulnerable”. The narrow sawfish is still yet to be listed under the EPBC Act. However, the good news is that, thanks to AMCS and partners Humane World Australia’s advocacy, we will know by September 2025 if Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt lists the narrow sawfish as a threatened species under the Act and uplists freshwater sawfish to Endangered under the Act.

What are the threats to sawfish?

Commercial fishing

Sawfish are vulnerable to gillnets and trawlers because of their saw-like rostrum that gets easily tangled in nets. Along northern Australia, they’re often accidentally caught in gillnets used to catch barramundi, or trawler nets used to scoop up prawns.

Being rays, sawfish are typically resilient to capture because they don’t have to move to breathe. However, despite responsible fishers doing their best to release sawfish alive, there are allegations that some fishers chop their saws off, resulting in a gruesome and prolonged death.

Why chop a saw off? Some fishers do so because of a combination of a perceived inconvenience to their fishing, concerns that their nets could be costly to fix because of the damage caused by trying to release the sawfish, and a genuine fear for their safety. The loss of a saw means the sawfish often dies of blood loss and starvation, anytime from days to weeks later⁸. Even with their saws intact, it is estimated that the stress of being caught in a gillnet results in mortality rates (including after they’ve been released) ranging from 50-100%, with narrow sawfish havingthe highest mortality rate amongst sawfishes.⁹ ¹⁰

Sawfish rostrums similarly get snagged in the giant scoop nets of trawlers. Sawfish can be squashed as the catch gets hauled out of the water, maimed by other animals in the trawl net, and even have their snagged saws snapped off as they’re forced through to the back of the trawl net.

Increasing coastal development.

As the human population increases, so does the demand for better infrastructure, including larger ports, and the creation of dams for irrigation that supply a range of agricultural needs, such as water-thirsty cotton farms¹¹. The creation of dams that change river flows can block the migration of juvenile sawfish, or create isolated pools that expose sawfish to starvation or worse – the drying out of those pools. Compounding this is the effect of the climate crisis, and the changing frequency of flood events, which sawfish rely on for reproduction.¹² ¹³

Solutions

The challenges seem daunting, but we have solutions at the ready. Thanks to our supporters, we also had some recent wins that significantly boost the recovery efforts for sawfish.

In 2023, the Queensland Government committed to banning gillnet fishing in the Great Barrier Reef by 2027, and at the time of writing most gillnetting effort has already been removed. Around the geographic corner in the Gulf of Carpentaria, the Queensland Government also implemented 11,600 sq. km. of gillnet-free areas around key river systems, and permanently retired gillnet licences to prevent fishing being concentrated in a smaller area. In 2024, the Northern Territory Government committed to phasing out gillnets in its commercial barramundi fishery by 2028, a very welcome step in the right direction, and we’re currently working hard to ensure that this commitment is met.

Challenges remain, and greater protection of their critical habitats is required. Cameras on trawlers across northern Australia, for example, can provide an accurate assessment of how many sawfish are being caught and where, enabling fishery managers to better identify sawfish ‘hotspots’ so that they can be protected, and fishers can be informed of areas to avoid. Supporting other organisations that are stopping the damming and harvesting of river waters for intensive agricultural use is crucial, as is the the transition to renewable energy to limit the impact of the climate crisis – for sawfish, and all life on Earth.

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References:
  1. International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Shark Specialist Group. “Saving Sawfish. A Strategy to Recover World’s Most Endangered Marine Fish” https://www.iucnssg.org/uploads/5/4/1/2/54120303/sawfish_infographicv2_copy.pdf
  2. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-16/sawfish-find-surprise-indigenous-rock-art/9662032
  3. International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Shark Specialist Group. “Saving Sawfish. A Strategy to Recover World’s Most Endangered Marine Fish” https://www.iucnssg.org/uploads/5/4/1/2/54120303/sawfish_infographicv2_copy.pdf
  4.  NSW Department of Primary Industries. “Threatened Species. Green sawfish.” https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/threatened-species/what-current/extinct/green-sawfsh 
  5. Wueringer, BE (2017) Sawfish catches in the Queensland Shark Control Program, 1964 to 2016. Endangered Species Research, DOI:10.3354/esr00853 open access
  6.  Sharks and Rays Australia. “Report Your Sighting” https://www.sharksandraysaustralia.com/report-your-sighting/
  7.  Kyne, PM et al. (2021) The Action Plan for Australian Sharks and Rays 2021. Hobart: NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub.
  8. Morgan, D et al. (2016) What is the fate of an amputee sawfish? Essays, Fisheries Magazine. Feb 2. https://fisheries.org/2016/02/what-is-the-fate-of-amputee-sawfish/
  9. Salini, J et al. (2007) “Northern Australian Sharks and Rays: The Sustainability of Target and Bycatch Species, Phase 2 | FRDC.” Australia: Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research https://www.frdc.com.au/project/2002-064.
  10. Field, I et al. (2008) “Distribution and Abundance of Glyphis and Sawfishes in Northern Australia and Their Potential Interactions with Commercial Fisheries.” Dept of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/49088.
  11. Booth C & Turner J (2024) Free-flowing Rivers of Australia’s North. Centre for Conservation
    Geography, Australia.
  12. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-24/sawfish-boom-and-bust-cycle-at-risk-with-dams/11798542
  13. Lear, KO. et al. (2021) “Wet Season Flood Magnitude Drives Resilience to Dry Season Drought of a Euryhaline Elasmobranch in a Dry-Land River.” Science of The Total Environment 750:142234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142234.

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