Whale death data sparks new call to remove shark nets

Fresh calls have been made for the removal of shark nets and baited drum lines off Queensland beaches during the upcoming whale migration season, after new data showing dozens of humpbacks have been snared.

Fresh calls have been made for the removal of shark nets and baited drum lines off Queensland beaches during the upcoming whale migration season, after new data showing dozens of humpbacks have been snared.

An analysis by marine conservation group the Envoy Foundation has revealed 159 whales have become trapped in nets and lines since the state’s shark control program began in 1962.

Eight whales drowned after becoming entangled while an unknown number died following their release, according to Envoy which used Right to Information laws to access the figures.

The group says data projections suggest as many as 17 whales could become entangled this migration season, with at least one fatality.

Envoy said the cessation of commercial whaling in Australia in the late 1970s had led to an explosion in the whale population, with as many as 40,000 travelling the so-called “humpback highway” up and down the east coast each year.

It said while the NSW Government had been removing shark nets during the whale migration season since 1989 - leading to almost zero entanglements - Queensland had only done so briefly in the early 1990s before “sadly regressing”.

Sea World Rescue team in conjunction with the Queensland Fisheries MART agencies freeing a 10-metre adult humpback whale from the shark control program net at Mermaid Beach last year.

“The Miles Government’s anti-science approach has repeatedly ignored the Scientific Working Group’s recommendation for shark net removal during whale migration season,” an Envoy spokesman said.

“The Queensland government frequently cites the necessity of shark nets for safeguarding the tourism industry as a rationale for inaction, without considering the devastating damage done to the Queensland brand by entangling and killing whales on a regular basis.

“Increasing community and media scrutiny places pressure on Queensland’s leadership to adopt conservation-aligned reforms and responsible stewardship.

“Failure to do so jeopardises Queensland’s reputation as a sustainable tourism destination and also threatens long-term environmental and economic damage.”

Envoy said 84 of the 159 recorded whale entanglements since 1962 had occurred on the Gold Coast, where specialist marine mammal rescuers from Sea World and the Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol are based.

But Envoy said data showed that stranded whales were being freed still dragging remnant ropes and chains in what was often a “death sentence”.

It said the use of “pingers” to repel whales from shark control equipment was also “completely ineffective”.

The State Government has consistently rejected calls to remove shark nets, maintaining it would risk human safety.

A total of 959 sharks, some as big as 5m, were caught by Queensland shark nets and drumlines last year, up from 753 the previous year.

There have been only two fatal shark attacks on the 86 Queensland beaches protected by shark nets and drumlines since the shark control program was introduced in 1962.

Gold Coast real estate agent Nick Slater was fatally mauled in a horrific attack while surfing popular Greenmount Beach on the southern Glitter Strip in September 2020.

Brisbane woman Sarah Whiley was also killed after being attacked by suspected bull sharks while swimming at Amity Point on North Stradbroke Island in January 2006.

But the shark control program has long come under fire from environmentalists because of the large number of whales, turtles, dugongs and other marine creatures trapped by the nets and drumlines.

Latest bycatch figures reveal the nets trapped a total of 138 marine mammals, turtles and other creatures in 2023, down slightly from 148 the previous year.