Australian Broadcasting Corporation


LOCATION: http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2004/s1158213.htm

Broadcast: 20/07/2004

Whale drowning floats nets debate

Reporter: Peter McCutcheon

KERRY O'BRIEN: The drowning of a baby humpback whale in a shark net off Queensland's Gold Coast has reignited a debate about shark control programs.

Critics say shark nets should be removed during the winter months at least, when the humpback makes its annual migration between the Antarctic and the central Queensland coast.

But authorities in Queensland are standing firm, arguing priority should be given to the safety of humans, as Peter McCutcheon reports.

PETER McCUTCHEON: From the brink of extinction in the 1960s, the elusive humpback whale is making a remarkable recovery.

These giant mammals are becoming an increasingly familiar sight off Australia's eastern coastline each winter as they migrate north for the breeding season.

But as the whale numbers rise, so does the likelihood of them coming into contact with lethal man-made hazards.

TREVOR LONG, SEA WORLD MARINE SCIENCES DIRECTOR: The animal was dead when we arrived.

I dived down and it was a small humpback whale.

PETER McCUTCHEON: And the drowning of a baby humpback caught in a shark net off the Gold Coast yesterday has re-opened the debate about balancing human safety with protecting the environment.

HENRY PALASZCZUK, QUEENSLAND PRIMARY INDUSTRIES MINISTER: I feel for the animal, but at the end of the day we really need to weigh up why that shark control gear is in place, and that's there to protect human life.

PAUL HODDA, WHALE CONSERVATION SOCIETY: It's time for a re-think as we become more aware of our environment and our place in it, and to re-think our position as coastal dwelling humans.

PETER McCUTCHEON: The month-old humpback drowned quickly after becoming entangled in a shark net in murky water off the Gold Coast's Mermaid Beach.

Rescuers could only tow the body away to encourage the distressed mother to leave the scene.

TREVOR LONG: It was more important for us to free that baby from the net this morning and then tow it away from the net so we, you know, tried so the mother wouldn't get caught.

PETER McCUTCHEON: It's the second whale to be caught in shark nets off south-east Queensland this year.

And if this recent survey of humpback whales is any indication, it's a problem that will only get worse.

Researchers estimate humpback whale numbers are growing at about 10 per cent a year.

And these giants of the deep continue to choose a migration route right next to our most popular netted beaches.

PETER McCUTCHEON (TO HENRY PALASZCZUK): With humpback whale numbers increasing so rapidly, will the Queensland Government eventually be forced to re-think its policy on shark nets?

HENRY PALASZCZUK: Well, we re-thought our policy on shark nets and drum lines two years ago.

Cabinet made a decision to keep in place the drum lines and the shark nets as they have been since 1962.

PETER McCUTCHEON: Henry Palaszczuk is Queensland's Primary Industries Minister, responsible for implementing the state's shark protection program.

Resisting calls to remove shark nets, Queensland last year began a program to look at ways to keep protected species away from the traps, such as installing warning signals.

HENRY PALASZCZUK: Currently, what we are trying to do is, under the current program, to find deterrents to encourage juveniles - juvenile whales and turtles and dolphins - to stay clear of our shark control gear.

PETER McCUTCHEON: Presently, there are more than 100 shark nets along the eastern seaboard.

TONY HAM, QUEENSLAND SHARK CONTROL PROGRAM: They're basically designed to mesh fish like any fishing net and remove the more dangerous top-line predators that might be moving through an area.

PETER McCUTCHEON: Contrary to popular belief, however, the shark nets don't actually keep sharks out of an area - rather, they simply kill any reasonably large marine animal that gets caught.

And that's why conservationists like Paul Hodda are calling for a major re-assessment of shark control programs.

PAUL HODDA: They are meant to keep shark numbers low in areas of population, human population.

So they are killing devices designed for sharks but they capture other things as well.

PETER McCUTCHEON: Paul Hodda therefore argues that in winter shark nets should be replaced with a more targeted approach.

PAUL HODDA: We'd like to see, particularly in the seasons when whales are travelling along the coastline, the nets replaced by drum lines, because a baited hook is a lot more specific than a net strung out across a whale migration path.

PETER McCUTCHEON: And, in fact, New South Wales stops netting in winter.

BILL TALBOT, NSW DEPARTMENT PRIMARY INDUSTRIES, FISHERIES DIVISION: Historically, we don't net during the winter months, mainly because it is cold enough that most people don't swim but the risk of shark attack is very low because most of our dangerous sharks turn up in summer and early autumn.

PETER McCUTCHEON (TO HENRY PALASZCZUK): In New South Wales they remove shark nets in winter.

Why can't Queensland do the same?

HENRY PALASZCZUK: It's a bit different in New South Wales.

The waters in New South Wales are a bit colder, therefore not that many people actually go swimming.

Queensland is a holiday destination all year round.

PETER McCUTCHEON: Queensland also argues nets are more effective against certain species of shark.

TONY HAM: The bull sharks tend to be targeted quite effectively with nets, whereas the more sedentary, lower-energy animals, if you like, like tigers, tend to be caught on the drum lines.

PETER McCUTCHEON (TO TONY HAM): So it's important to have that mix of strategies?

TONY HAM: It certainly is, simply because you never have a definitive answer of what sharks are in any area.

PETER McCUTCHEON: The fatal shark attack off Western Australia's Margaret River last week was a reminder of the potential dangers of the Australian surf.

But as humpback whale numbers on the east coast rise, questions will continue to be asked about how far we can go to ensure human safety at the cost of the environment.

HENRY PALASZCZUK: In Queensland, we've found that the combination that we currently have in place, a combination of drum lines and shark nets, has worked, and we intend to keep them as is.

TREVOR LONG: I think at the end of the day, the changes will be forced upon us and I think that's going to come around by the number of incidents - what we will see, during these winter months during both the northern and southern migration.

KERRY O'BRIEN: A vexed issue, it might be, but at least it's nice to know, I guess, that the whale population is on the way back.

Peter McCutcheon reporting.