Whale freed from shark nets on the Gold Coast
A whale trapped in shark nets off Main Beach on the Gold Coast has been freed by expert rescuers.
Footage from the scene just before 2pm showed the mammal swimming free with what is believed to be its calf alongside.
Queensland Shark Control Program manager Michael Mikitis said earlier that the Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol’s Marine Animal Release Team would unpick the net using specially designed equipment.
“Sea World is also assisting in the release,” he said.
“Our team was activated at 11.30am after the whale was reported though the Shark Control Hotline and confirmed using the Coastwatch cameras.”
This incident comes only one month after a diver untangled a baby humpback whale from Gold Coast shark nets.
The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries had handed the man, known only as "Django", two infringement notices for going within the 20-metre exclusion zone around all shark-control-program equipment, but he will not receive monetary fines because he has a clean record.
Django took to the water off Burleigh Heads after a drone operator reportedly spotted the whale entangled in the shark net.
"He [the whale] was really cut up … the actual net was going into his flesh.
"I had a knife, but I didn’t really need to use it, he just had his left pectoral fin wrapped up.
"Eventually, I got him enough out of the rope so he could just break free."
Tasmanian Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson described the footage of the whale trapped on Friday as "sickening to watch".
"The NSW government removes its shark nets during whale season, so why does the Queensland government stubbornly refuse to follow suit."
- with Toby Crockford