Baby whale caught in tugboat in Qld

A Queensland port operator is not sure whether a whale calf that became caught up in the propeller of a tug boat was dead or alive when it was first hit.

The captain was forced to return to Hay Point, near Mackay, late on Tuesday night when he realised something was wrong about 3km offshore and crew members found the dead humpback whale at the port.

The incident has been reported to both state and federal authorities, and they will decide if an investigation is needed.

The whale's carcass was removed using a crane on Thursday.

The matter was being taken very seriously, a North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation spokesman said.

"We are assisting the relevant authorities in the management and reporting of the incident," he said.

Conservation groups, including the World Wildlife Fund, were outraged and said the incident highlighted the challenges of operating an industrial port next to the Great Barrier Reef.

"We need to know exactly what went wrong here," spokesman Richard Leck said.

"Every effort should be made to determine what happened and what lessons can be possibly learnt to prevent future whale fatalities."