A distressing video shows a mother humpback whale and her young calf caught in shark nets near Noosa Main Beach on the Sunshine Coast of Australia.
Drone footage captured by Geoff Aquiuno reveals the tense moment the mother and her calf became ensnared, with the mother rolling into the netting to protect her baby.
According to 7 News, both whales struggled to free themselves from the large shark net. The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) confirmed that a Shark Control Program contractor was called in to cut the pair loose.
The rescue took place around 11:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Sept. 17. At the time, two other whales were also trapped in the same net.
“A humpback whale and calf have been successfully released after becoming entangled in a shark net at Noosa,” a DPI spokesperson said, as reported by 7News.
Dr. Olaf Meynecke, a mammal researcher at Griffith University in East Queensland, told The Guardian that humpback whales often get caught in shark nets each year. However, this was the first recorded case involving four whales trapped simultaneously.
While the mother and calf were freed, they were later seen still carrying remnants of netting.
There are 27 shark nets in Queensland and 51 in New South Wales, The Guardian reports. Migrating whale mothers and newborn calves are particularly vulnerable to entanglement.
The Queensland government explains that shark nets are large mesh barriers intended to “catch sharks that pass through the area,” focusing on those over two meters long.
In July, the New South Wales government announced a trial to remove these controversial nets from three beaches in Sydney and the Central Coast. The trial was halted after a fatal shark attack in Dee Why claimed the life of professional surfer Mercury Psillakis, 57, according to the Australian Broadcasting Company.
Whale entanglements have become more frequent over the past 10 to 15 years, Meynecke told The Guardian, mostly affecting mothers and calves.
“It seems adults are aware of the danger and may communicate about risky areas. Calves, however, don’t recognize the threat and can become trapped. Mothers then stay close to them and risk entanglement themselves,” Meynecke explained.
Whale scientist Dr. Vanessa Pirotta told The Guardian that the footage from Noosa was “heartbreaking.” She emphasized that calves in these situations are especially vulnerable—dependent on their mothers for nourishment, stressed, and at risk of drowning.
“Each entanglement is unique, but if movement is heavily restricted, whales may literally drown in shark nets,” Pirotta warned.
