National Sawfish Sighting Week - October 26 - November 2, 2024
Globally, October 17 is International Sawfish Day! In Australia, this day also marks the Opening day of registrations for National Sawfish Sighting Week, where you – the incredible Citizen Scientist – can help to monitor the most threatened species in our waters. All we need you to do is register your planned water activity and send us a pic/video afterwards, and you could win a spot on one of our sawfish expeditions.
How does it work?
- Registration opens on International Sawfish Day, October 17, 2024 and closes by midnight October 25, 2024 (AEST). Include your plans for the big day – choose one day in the week of October 26 – November 2, 2024.
- Spotting from a boat
- Diving / freediving
- Fishing
- Flying a drone
- Walking along the shoreline
- Go on your adventure.
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- Record the time you’re out on / near the water – minimum 2 hours.
- Make sure to take a photograph / video – with or without a sawfish.
- If you do see or accidentally catch a sawfish, get a picture including the saw!
- Remember to stay croc safe!
- Report back.
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- Remember – no sawfish is data! It is vital that we hear back from you even if you have not seen a sawfish.
- To enter the prize draw you must report your activity details by midnight November 3, 2024 (AEST).
- You MUST submit a video/ photo from the day’s activity directly from your phone, so it is time and location stamped.
How is this different from our normal sightings campaign?
Sawfish are protected in Australian waters. We do not ask you to target them – however if you catch one while fishing, we do ask that you safely release it and report your sighting. This is incredibly important to our work and their conservation!
When people report sightings, this only tells us where sawfish are – it leaves out where they are not. For this step of the project, we need to know both. By including people’s time on the water over a chosen day, as this helps to standardise our data. So remember, no sawfish is still data, and you do not need to have found a sawfish in order to go into the prize draw!
Please note that not seeing a sawfish does not mean they aren’t there. It just gives us a better idea of how common they are in each area.
Terms and Conditions
You are responsible for your own safety during your activity during National Sawfish Sighting Week. You are also responsible for not breaking the law. Remember, sawfish are protected in Australian waters, and cannot be targeted without a permit. Engaging in unsafe activities, like for example freediving in murky coastal crocodile habitat (yikes!) in Far North Queensland will exclude you from the prize draw.
Anybody who registers by the deadline of midnight on October 25, 2024 (AEST) AND reports their sawfish sighting activity of a minimum of 2 hours from one day in the week of October 26 – November 2, 2024 by the deadline of November 3, 2024, midnight AEST, will go in the draw for our prizes. If you and your mates are going on the boat together, you can only make one submission for your team, unless you are engaging in separate activities, e.g. one person flying a drone, one person fishing.
Prizes include:
- 10 neoprene sunnies straps and stickers
- 3 Sawfish Spotter T-shirts
- 1 participation on one of our upcoming expeditions in 2025*
*Our field expeditions are a once in a lifetime chance, but are physically demanding. You must be physically fit to participate. Our normal booking terms and conditions apply. Participation in an expedition cannot be exchanged for money, and cancellation within 40 days of the expedition forfeits your participation.
Prizes are transferrable. We are more than happy to send the prize to a friend or family member who shares your passion for the environment. Please get in touch if you have any questions.
This campaign is funded by is the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.