Sharks And Rays Australia

06/10/2026

Dr Barbara Wueringer handling a green sawfish Pristis zijsron for processing.

This is a juvenile Green sawfish, this species does not reach sexual maturity until well over 3m total length!

📸Taken back in 2022 on a Lama Lama expedition.
🛥️Funded by the Great Barrier Reef foundation.
🌊 Field trip was done in collaboration with Yintjingga Aboriginal Corporation and SCF Australia.

28/09/2026

Throwback to this 2018 Mapoon expedition where the team caught and safely released a Tawny nurse shark (Nebrius ferrugineus). 🦈

In Australia, they are found from around Rockhampton (QLD), across the tropical north, and down the Western Australian coastline to Ningaloo Reef. 🌊

Have you ever been lucky enough to spot one of these beautiful sharks in the wild? Let us know in the comments below! 👇

16/09/2026

02/09/2026

Did you know that less than 30% of all researchers are women? 👩‍🔬

Gender inequality still exists in many forms around the world. This article examines the clear differences and boundaries that exist for women in STEM, specifically in elasmobranch research 🦈

Check it out here: https://doi.org/10.3389/frish.2026.1816786

31/08/2026

One common method in fishing and in research is called gill netting.
It got its name because wildlife swim into the nets and are entangled by the gills, fins and spines.

Methods using these nets are adapted for scientific use and can catch non-target species. These animals will still be measured, and data will be recorded before being released safely.

All animals are handled under approved ethics permits with PPE (e.g. gloves) and are removed from the nets as quickly but carefully as possible to avoid stress or injury to the animal (and the researchers 👀🐊).

100% nylon netting with rope and floaters on the top and weights on the bottom to keep it in position. Once the nets can no longer be used, they are donated to for recycling!

30/08/2026

Well that’s a cool image!! Don’t forget to report your sawfish sighting to www.cytags.com please! Maybe we can use turtles as scale bars? 🤭

An otherworldly image has taken out the 2026 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 🏆

Photographer Matt Deakin captured Ethereal Encounter in the Pilbara, with the sawfish emerging from the mist alongside a turtle.

Visit the exhibition at the South Australian Museum from today to see the full gallery of winners and shortlisted images.

🔗 Read more: https://bit.ly/4xvY3PA
From Miles Away

28/08/2026

Sawfish populations are declining globally, and so is their genetic diversity.

🌎 We’re proud to be part of a global team of researchers behind a new study uncovering the genetic history of the Critically Endangered largetooth* sawfish (Pristis pristis). These are the first results from DNA collected from saws we have sampled.

🧬 Using DNA from historical specimens dating back to 1878, researchers compared past and present genetic diversity. Out of 35 genetic variants identified in historical samples, only six remain in contemporary populations.

📉 Most of the lost genetic variants were from the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific, regions where largetooth sawfish populations have experienced severe declines and are facing ongoing genetic erosion. However, there is some encouraging news from Australia, genetic diversity appears to have remained stable since the 1960s.

This research highlights why conservation isn't just about protecting the number of animals that remain. Protecting the genetic diversity within those populations is critical for the long-term survival of the species.

Read the full paper to discover what historical DNA can tell us about today’s sawfish populations and their future 🦈

Open access link: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article/293/2076/20261044/482685/The-secret-of-the-saws-historical-DNA-analysis?fbclid=IwY2xjawT8rapwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMXVUWXRJZzM0czRZWXhuRmNzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeVLYBQfRJfzhyMneqYVQsBe0bCQXBAIGs9_RoLr9m1DhYOOxqMziXG5nHIhU_aem_unILiHEXT-US7SpmfgDNdw

If you see a sawfish, you can help conservation efforts by reporting your sightings to cytags.com

*Also referred to as the freshwater sawfish

20/08/2026

If you are new to our organisation, welcome! 🦈

We recommend listening to our founder Dr Barbara Wueringer talk on Wild Chats with the Australian Wildlife Education. This is a great place to start for those wishing to uncover more about our foundations as an organisation, and insight into Sawfish as a species. 🎧

You can listen on Spotify via:
Australian Wildlife Education- Wild Chats
‘Sawfish with Barbara Wueringer’

Let us know in the comments your elasmobranch podcast episode recommendations! 👇

17/08/2026

Help protect sawfish by reporting your sighting! 🌊

If you see a sawfish, whether it's alive, accidentally caught, tagged, or even a preserved saw, we'd love to hear from you.

Every report helps us learn more about these critically endangered animals and supports their conservation.

📸 We love this submission from Jackson, who caught a juvenile sawfish in the Gulf of Carpentaria back in December 2019. It is Always great to see them being respectfully released unharmed.

Report your sighting here: https://www.sharksandraysaustralia.com/report-your-sighting/

Thank you!