A Sawfish in Minnesota

[1]Cairns Marine is renowned worldwide for our capacity to capture, handle, husband and transport large animals. This capacity also extends to initial stocking of large public aquaria.

In essence, we specialise in complete solutions for the needs of the aquarium industry. Most importantly, our solutions are ecologically sustainable and supported by after sales husbandry support and extension information.

This article illustrates our capacity. It's the story of how a Green sawfish (Pristis zijron) made the journey from a steamy tropical estuary in northern Australia to the Underwater Adventures Aquarium in Minnesota. The journey demonstrates the high degree of capability of both our field teams and lab facility, as well as the cacpcity to plan complex logistical operations involving delicate biological subjects large or small.

Sawfish are extraordinary animals. The saw, or rostrum, is lined with teeth and used by the animal during feeding. It serves as a foraging instrument in the muddy estuarine sediments and as a feeding weapon. Sawfish favour the shallows where they can lash out at small fish, which are their main food.

 

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This wonderful adaptation is also their downfall as sawfish are often killed due to entanglement in fishing nets. Sawfish numbers have declined worldwide but Northern Australia remains one of a few remaining strongholds.

Cairns Marine is permitted to take sawfish under strict guidelines to supply public aquaria exhibits that have an important education and awareness-raising role to play in sawfish conservation.

Our sawfish journey starts near Weipa on the western side of Cape York in remote northern Australia. This remote area has great wilderness qualities and a small, mainly indigenous human population. Sawfish are abundant here but they still are prone to dying in fishing nets set in estuaries. Note: Cairns Marine is working with the Queensland Government's Dept. of Primary Industries in a research program to determine the behaviour and distribution of the sawfish species in the region.

 

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Sawfish country is wild expeditionary country and we must be prepared to catch, care for, and transport our charges such that they remain in peak condition. A full day of driving and brings us to the remote west coast of Cape York. This is pretty wild country, even by Australian standards.The monsoon rains of summer can cut this coast off from the rest of Australia for months at a time.

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Now we must switch to vessels to get to the tropical estuaries where the sawfish live. The waters of the tidal estuaries are murky but also rich with life including the healthiest populations of saltwater crocodiles anywhere in the world. The murky waters don't let on just how many crocs are here, buy a short dinghy ride with a spotlight at night will reveal more than you care to think about. Crocodiles have powerful eyeshine.

[5]With the base camp set up along the coast we head off to a shallow arm of the estuary. Sawfish love to explore the shallows for food on the rising tide. It doesn't worry them that the water is turbid - the sensory pits on their rostrum detects the presence of prey electrically. They then thrash their toothy rostrum from side to side to impale or stun fish.

We place our net in a shallow part of the estuary in the late afternoon. Once set the net is continually monitored to avoid distressing any meshed animals. Onshore the collection team awaits news from the vessel. As soon as a sawfish is captured it must be stabilised and protected such that it can not harm itself (or anyone else) with its formidable rostrum.

 

 

[6]In the past sawfish are also often viewed as trophy fish with many a rostrum adorning the bar of old pubs and hotels. While attitudes are changing the greatest problem is the lack of awreness that there is a problem. Sawfish are beautiful and amazing creatures. Like the playtpus they seem to strange to be be true.

Just before midnight we find our target, a young Green sawfish about 90cm long. Cairns Marine director Lyle Squire Jnr. draws the short straw that says he has to get out of the boat to untangle the sawfish. This is serious croc country!

 

 

 

[7]Apart from the crocs, untangling the sawfish is a tricky process due to potential for the sawfish to damage both itself and anything it comes into contact with. To aid in the process Lyle places a felt mask over the animals eyes to calm it down followed by a rostrum protector.

The rostrum may look like a blunt instrument but it is actually an extremely senstive instrument for the sawfish. The blade is lined with electro-chemical sensors embedded in the skin and it is not uncommon to find fish scales impaled on the teeth from recent feeding activity.

It is easy to understand why sawfish and fishing nets don't go well together. The decline of sawfish worldwide has been dramatic, and some species of sawfish are now listed as threatened species in Australia.

 

[8]With the animal calm and protected it is now safe to move it into the boat and get Lyle out of the croc water.Green sawfish are known to reach over 7 metres in length. Specimens of that size are not only difficult to handle and transport but also accomodate in capctivity. Experience has shown that small specimens like this adapt very well to captive life in a suitably designed public displays.

 

 

 

 

 

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Now the sawfish is stablised in a large plastic tub. Its been a big day! Back at base camp the crew transfer the animal to an in-water holding pen and perform various checks on the water quality and the temperament of the animal before commencing the journey back to the Cairns Marine holding facility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[10]Back in the Cairns Marine facility specimens are acclimated to the desired salinity and treated for parasites and any infections that may exist. For shipment, specimens are consigned in special containers that have been agreed upon with the carrier. Then it is off on the journey to the other side of the world

For the Underwater World order Cairns Marine provided a complete solution spanning a range of large specimens, including sharks, rays and large fish.

All logistics were handled by Cairns Marine, including collection permits, collecting the animals, handling and husbandry, packing and freight. Cairns Marine retains ownership of the animals until the animals are received at the port of entry to the destination country so the animals receive the highest level of care and arrive in premium condition.

 

 

 

[11] On the tarmac in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Underwater Word staff took control of the consignment ensuring a red carpet ride through the city.

On arrival at Underwater World the precious cargo is revealed with great anticipation.

Quarantine and health checks precede the animals being settled into temporary accomodation.  After the necessary settling in period two sawfish finally make their debut to the public.

It may be a world away from Weipa but these healthy, beautiful sawfish have now become a centrepiece of Underwater World's public displays. Hundreds of thousands, soon to be millions, of people now know these bizarre and remarkable creatures exist and are under threat in the wild.

 

 

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