Indigenous artist Rodney Lucas has spent 35 years fishing in the pristine waters off the coast of Karumba in Queensland’s Gulf of Carpentaria.
Internationally renowned for its bountiful sea life, fishers from far and wide flock to these shores to try their luck at the reel.
But the popular practice is taking a toll on unique underwater species like sawfish.
Hunted for its saw-like nose, or rostrum, the once-thriving population is now endangered across the region.
Although illegal to kill, sawfish are still actively caught and mutilated for their saw feature, while net fishing has also contributed to population decline.
But over the past six years, Mr Lucas has been convincing tourists to swap out the idea of a trophy catch for an even better prize.
The Tagalaka man uses plaster models, steel and fibreglass to create large saw trophies that showcase vibrant Indigenous paintings or custom banners.
Each work is handmade and can take up to 12 hours to finish.
He hopes the artworks will be favoured over the real thing and educate tourists on the vulnerability of the species.
"It's all about building awareness for the sawfish. If you're not from the area, you won't know how endangered they are.
"This way, tourists who come for the fishing can take home a big replica of the saw, and it's hard to tell the difference between a real saw and my replicas," he said.
Mr Lucas's work has turned heads in the conservation community.
Dr Barbara Wueringer is the founder and director at Sharks and Rays Australia (SARA).
"Sawfish are of traditional importance for a lot of Indigenous groups around Australia.
"It's now really important that every sawfish that has an interaction with a human survives that interaction and to make these casts of sawfish is an absolutely fantastic idea," she said.
Plight of the sawfish
Globally, sawfish are considered to be the most endangered family of sharks and rays, according to Dr Wueringer.
"The Gulf of Carpentaria, for a long time, was considered one of the last global strongholds for four out of five species of sawfish.
She believes the species of ray may already be extinct along Queensland's east coast.
"In Queensland, the populations are not doing as well as they should be given that they have been a protected species for 12 years," she said.
While sawfish are listed as a 'no-take' species under the Fisheries Act 1994, Dr Wueringer said a lack of public education was to blame for diminishing numbers.
"Often, the sawfish will be caught accidentally, and people don't realise how important it is that they release them back into the water properly," she said.
Mr Lucas said he has been pleased to see his artworks were catching the eyes of an increasing number of visitors.
"I reckon I've finally cracked it. I've been working on this process for six or seven years now and I think I've finally refined it.
"It's all about creating awareness so we don't go killing off this amazing species."
