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By: Alice Morris
A humpback whale was freed after becoming entangled in shark netting off the Gold Coast in Australia.
The sub-adult whale became trapped off Kirra Beach on August 26.
Sea World in Queensland was contacted around 6:30 AM after someone noticed the whale. Rescuers were soon on the scene, working to free the humpback.
“It was a very calm whale,” said Dr. Trevor Long, the head of Marine Science at Sea World. “It was only caught by the one pectoral fin. But sometimes I believe that whales understand we’re helping them.”
The humpback was rescued after about four hours of entanglement.
The number of whale rescues is expected to increase on the Gold Coast as whales head south, but Dr. Long has some ideas about how to decrease incidences of whales becoming entangled.
“I think the best solution would be to look at the busiest time in the southern migration, which is about now in the September situation. If you remove the net and you replace it with drum lines you’re not compromising bather safety. Many nets have been removed in north Queensland to prevent dugong capture, so it’s been done before without detriment.”
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