Call on the WA Government to protect the sawfish!

Take action to protect the sawfish!

Read the message you will send

I am deeply concerned about the future of the critically endangered freshwater sawfish and its home – the Kimberley’s Martuwarra Fitzroy River. 
I am calling on you as the decision makers for the future of this river, to protect the last stronghold and what’s considered the world’s most important nursery ground for the freshwater sawfish. 
Developments that threaten to take billions of litres of water from the river, its floodplains or ancient groundwater systems, risk the health of the river and the rare species that rely on it for survival, like the freshwater sawfish. 
We’ve seen the damage that irrigation along the Martuwarra can cause to this important species, following multiple mass sawfish death events in the catchment near Liveringa Station – a pastoral property with a license to pump water out of the river. 
Plans to take any further water from the Martuwarra, floodplains or the precious groundwater and aquifers that support the river during the long dry season, could risk further strandings and deaths of sawfish in the catchment. 
The mighty Martuwarra is crucial to the survival of this species, which has disappeared by 80 per cent of its former global range. This is why I am calling on you to protect the river before it is too late. 
I strongly urge you to commit to protecting the freshwater sawfish by taking action to protect the Martuwarra, by enacting long-term and legally binding protection for the river, its floodplains, wetlands and groundwater that is co-designed with Traditional Owners. 
This is an opportunity to deliver on your government’s commitment to protect the Martuwarra Fitzroy River and leave a legacy that all Western Australians can be proud of.

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Why the sawfish needs to be protected

Help us protect the critically endangered sawfish and its home by sending a message to the WA Government.

We need your help to protect the Martuwarra Fitzroy River, ensuring it can continue to support incredible and rare wildlife like the freshwater sawfish.

Reasons why you should take action:

Critically endangered freshwater sawfish rely on the Martuwarra for survival, having disappeared from 80 per cent of their former global range.

The Martuwarra Fitzroy River is recognised as the world's last stronghold for the freshwater sawfish and most important nursery, serving as a sanctuary for juveniles.

Freshwater sawfish have been around since the time of dinosaurs – more than 60 million years!

Freshwater sawfish are culturally significant to Traditional Owners in the Kimberley, with many language names and stories across the language groups.

Multiple mass sawfish kills have already occurred within the Martuwarra’s catchment – we cannot risk more deaths and further decline of this critically endangered species.