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An urgent rescue mission is in underway to free a whale trapped in a shark net along the Gold Coast.
The whale is understood to have been trapped in a net off Greenmount Beach at Coolangatta in Queensland on Thursday morning.
It has since freed itself but remains tangled in the net.
Visuals published by Nine News depicted rescue crews attempting to free the whale as it continued its strained swim.
A Sea World Foundation dinghy followed closely behind, appearing to have attached two large rescue balloons to the whale to monitor its location.
A Sea World Foundation spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the rescue operation remained ongoing.
Macquarie University wildlife scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotti told this outlet the incident highlighted the significance of entanglements as a risk to Australian marine life.
‘Whale entanglement in fishing gear is a global problem and this morning’s entanglement, already the second whale entangled this season along the humpback highway, is a remind its happening here,’ she said.
A rescue team is pictured beside the entangled whale
Efforts to free the trapped whale remain ongoing
It comes days after the Queensland Government announced it would not trial the removal of shark nets during migration season to ‘support Queensland’s beach culture’.
The announcement was made contrary to the recommendation of a KPMG report commissioned to evaluate Queensland’s shark control program.
Queensland Department of Primary Industries, which maintains a hotline for reports of whales tangled in shark nets, said the risk is highest from May to September.
It estimated more than 40,000 humpback whales migrate along the Queensland coast each year and, on average, fewer than six become tangled in shark nets.
Members of the public are prohibited from conducting whale rescue operations.
‘Whales are the size of a bus and can be very stressed when caught in gear, this is why only trained professionals are best placed to assist this whale,’ Dr Pirotta said.
‘People have been killed in other parts of the world trying to help rescue whales.
‘As scientists, we need to keep learning about whales through our science, to best inform how we as humans can better interact with them, to help reduce interactions like this.’
More to come.
