Whale rescuers have warned their work is far from over after a young whale was found dead on a popular beach.
Crews are working to free a humpback whale caught in nets off the Gold Coast. It is believed the call came in on Monday night about the whale being stuck off Mermaid Beach. Sea World and Fisheries are on the scene frantically working to zip-tie the other net. It is the first sighting of the whale watching season where more than 40,000 of the species are expected to pass along a stretch of ocean known as ‘Humpback Highway’.
The dwarf minke whale was found dead on Tuesday afternoon at Main Beach on the Gold Coast.
The cause of death is under investigation by staff at nearby Sea World following an autopsy of the corpse.
Whale advocacy group Humpbacks and High Rises said the reason for the whale’s death was “not obvious”.
“Likely, (the whale) had been travelling north with its mum,” the advocacy group wrote on Facebook.
Photos of the dead whale obtained by 7 News appear to show lacerations or bite marks near the whale’s tail.
The death comes only hours after a humpback whale was caught in a shark net off the Gold Coast.
The dwarf minke whale was found dead on Tuesday afternoon at Main Beach on the Gold Coast. Picture: Facebook
The trapping is the first of its kind since the start of the whale season, which kicked off in early May.
Rescuers, including staff from Sea World, worked for more than 12 hours to free the whale.
Sea World head of marine sciences Wayne Phillips told 7 News that more operations were likely to take place over coming months.
“The whales are really close to shore, so we are having a lot of sightings early in the season,” Mr Phillips said.
“That could change at any point in the season, but we’re ready to go 24/7 to help the whales on their annual migration.”
The safety of whales whose annual migration follows Australia’s eastern coastline has been the subject of repeated scrutiny.
Humpbacks and High Rises are petitioning to alter the use of shark nets, citing “decades of ridiculous whale torture”.
The cause of death is under investigation by staff at nearby Sea World. Picture: 7 News
“Whales are being entangled, injured, or killed in Gold Coast shark nets every year,” the petition stated.
“Whales and dolphins have the same fear of drowning, and the suffering inflicted on them is tremendous.
“The entanglements are predictable, occur every year, and most importantly are preventable.”
Humpbacks and High Rises claim research shows the Gold Coast is increasingly being used by whales for rest and calving.
The petition urges the state government to temporary lift shark nets for a few weeks a year to protect whales migrations.
So far, the petition has garnered more than 120,000 signatures – short of its goal of 200,000 signatures.
Rescuers, including staff from Sea World, worked for more than 12 hours to free a whale off Mermaid Beach. Picture: 7 News
The temporary lifting of shark nets is undertaken in NSW, where advocacy groups continue to push back against net use.
Sea Shepherd Australia managing director Jeff Hansen told 9 News last year that shark nets were “curtains of death”.
The NSW shark net program consists of 51 nets from Newcastle to Wollongong that are used for eight months each year.
The nets are removed for four months for the annual migration of humpback whales in a bid to reduce harm.
Nonetheless, a NSW DPI 2021/22 report revealed that 62 per cent of animals died in the nets, with the rest released alive.
Animals ensnared in the nets including sharks, dolphins and sea turtles.