Whales run the gauntlet
Call to remove nets after humpback snag
THE Department of Queensland and Fisheries has hit back at claims shark nets should be taken down during winter – despite three whales being caught on the Coast this week.
A whale was discovered entangled in the Kirra Beach shark nets on the Gold Coast at 6.30am on Friday.
The humpback whale was rescued by Sea World and the Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol’s marine animal release team by 9am.
Sea World head of marine sciences Wayne Phillips urged the department to have a look at how that particular net was being managed.
“We do have a problem with the Kirra net,” he said. “We have had two entanglements obviously within the last couple of days in that exact net, in the exact same location of the net.
“They do come close to the shore as they wrap around that point so it does seem to be a problem for the animals.”
Sea Shepherd defence campaigner Johnathan Clark said “it was time for these cruel and deadly nets to come out”.
“This year’s whale migration season has only just begun and already more whales have become entangled in these useless shark nets than in the entirety of 2021.
“These whales are yet to make a return trip to Antarctica where they will have to run this gauntlet again.”
He said it was a “horror start to whale migration season” as this whale marks the fifth to become caught in nets across Queensland.
Sea Shepherd’s threatened and endangered species campaigner Lauren Sandeman said they were disheartened more than 120 whales had been caught in Queensland because of the shark nets.
“It’s past time for the Queensland Fisheries Minister to act on the scientific advice he’s been receiving for years to remove these nets during whale season to stop these events occurring like clockwork each year.”
A spokesman for the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries said they would not change the program unless they could find “effective alternatives”.
“Protection of human life is the first priority of the Queensland’s Shark Control Program, but we are continually working on innovation and improvements to the pro
gram,” he said.
“The Shark Control Program is trialling catch and alert drumlines and drones, and using the latest technology in electronic warning devices, such as acoustic pingers, to alert whales and dolphins of the presence of the nets.
“Changes to the program will not be made unless effec
tive alternatives have been identified and proven suitable for Queensland conditions.”
He said there was an estimated 40,000 whales that migrated along the state’s coast each year, and on average only six whale entanglements were reported.
Griffith University whale expert Dr Olaf Meynecke said it was devastating news
“for everyone who appreciates whales” and reinforced shark nets were outdated.
“The problem is that we are seeing a shift in humpback whale behaviour with breeding occurring more often south of the Great Barrier Reef,” he said. “So unless we want to continue injuring more whales, a change in management is needed.”