Newborn whale dies after becoming tangled in shark net off Gold Coast

A newborn humpback whale has died after becoming tangled in shark nets off the Gold Coast.

Witnesses first raised an alarm when they saw the calf’s mother, approximately 9m in length, in distress off the coast of Broadbeach about 11.30am today.

Two hours later, a rescue crew located both whales “slightly entangled” in the nets, with the juvenile calf found deceased on arrival.

“The juvenile calf was caught around the pectoral fin and the mother just around the head,” a Queensland Department of Primary Industries rescuer said.

“As you can see by today’s sea conditions, they were perfect. Unfortunately the mother did survive but the calf is now deceased.”

Crews carried out a delicate operation to free the mother, with the Department of Primary Industries now focusing on retrieving the calf’s body so it does not attract sharks or wash onto the shore.