Endangered sawfish at risk from plan to double water extraction from WA’s Fitzroy River, advocates say

The Martuwarra Fitzroy catchment is home to four of the world’s five sawfish species, which rely on large groundwater-fed pools to survive the dry season Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Conservationists fear a government plan to double groundwater extraction from the Martuwarra Fitzroy River catchment in Western Australia could jeopardise threatened sawfish populations. The untamed river, which flows 700km through the Kimberley to King Sound, is considered the last stronghold for sawfish globally and is home to four of the world’s five species. Sawfish, a type of ray named for their chainsaw-like snouts, are “probably one of the most unique looking animals on the planet”, said Dr Leonardo Guida, from the Australian Marine Conservation Society. The river, its estuary and near-shore marine environment are home to largetooth, dwarf, green and narrow sawfish, all protected under national environment laws. Endangered largetooth sawfish – the largest and most imperilled – are born at the river’s mouth. The young spend several years inhabiting the river, its tributaries and deep aquifer-fed pools before heading out to sea. Adults can reach up to s