Whale 'asleep when trapped'

A YOUNG humpback whale rescued from a shark net off the Australian Gold Coast may have fallen asleep before becoming entangled, experts believe.

The 10-metre whale was found just before 7am today, caught in the net off Main Beach. The mammal was cut free less than three hours later, and was apparently unscathed.

Trevor Long, director of marine sciences at Gold Coast theme park Sea World, said calm conditions may have contributed to the whale getting stuck.

The whale could have been asleep before waking up to find itself caught in the net, he said.

"These animals sleep on top of the water and use sound to navigate," Mr Long said.

"We've found with a lot of entrapments that we've had in the last 10 or 12 years, they have happened on these very still nights.
"The net wasn't making any noise, the animal may even have been sleeping close to the net."

Mr Long said the juvenile humpback was aged between two and six years, but he did not know if it was a male or a female.

The whale was caught on the net by knob-like sensory nodules on its nose.

"(The net) was pulling very tight on them, so it probably would have been hurting," Mr Long said.

Sea World marine rescue experts, Department of Primary Industries Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol (QBFP) staff and shark net contractors were called in, and cut the whale free around 9.30am.

QBFP shark control program acting manager Tony Ham said the humpback could be the first of several wayward young whales caught in the nets in 2005.

"At that age they are like kids in shopping centres," he said.

"They roam all over the place."

Last year, a humpback calf drowned after being caught near the bottom of a shark net on the Gold Coast.

The Queensland Government has refused to take down the shark nets and replace them with drum lines.

There are 11 shark nets located off the most popular swimming beaches on the Gold Coast.

Since they were introduced in 1962, there has not been a single shark attack on a netted beach.

"They are not willing to risk the safety of people who do swim, even at this time of year," Mr Ham said.

An estimated 5000-6000 humpbacks make the annual migration up the east Australian coast to warmer northern waters each year.

Source: www.news.com.au