The first whale entanglement happened at the Gold Coast early on Monday evening when a young sub-adult whale was caught in shark nets.
At only one week into the whale migration season and with 2022 being the worst whale entanglement season on record Sea Shepherd are calling on the Queensland government to commit to the removal of shark nets during whale migration season.
Left overnight
‘The distressed young whale was left overnight where it was forced to struggle alone before crews were able to free it around 8am the following morning,’ said a Seashepherd spokesperson.
Sea Shepherd Australia’s Threatened Species Campaigner, Lauren Sandeman says this one event could be a death sentence for the young whale.
‘After being abandoned overnight to struggle and fight for his life alone, this young whale may now no longer have enough energy reserves to make the return trip home to Antarctica. A release from a shark net does not mean this poor guy actually survives to see the next season.
‘Off the back of the worst whale entanglement season on record in 2022, with a shocking 15 entanglements, the Queensland government has done absolutely nothing to prevent this from continuing in 2023.
Time for net replacement trial
‘The public would be disgusted to know that a net replacement trial was discussed in 2020 and was supported by the scientific working group overseeing the program but was abandoned at the eleventh hour with no justification,’ she said.
‘Queensland is 40 years behind NSW who have been removing nearly double the number of shark nets since the 1980s to prevent whale entanglements. Allowing shark nets to remain in the migratory route is barbaric and a national disgrace.
‘It’s deplorable that Mark Furner and Anastacia Palaszczuk are happy to celebrate the whale migration season to exploit the tourism dollar but refuse to remove these killing devices from the migratory path knowing that more and more whales will continue to be caught.’
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