00:00A humpback whale calf wrapped in fishing line off the Gold Coast last week.
00:07If they're not freed then they are either stuck in that line and in the rope for all
00:13their life, which could actually end after a few months because they're starving to death.
00:18This Kira resident has reported multiple sharknet entanglements this season.
00:24It's awful to witness.
00:26She wants to see sharknets removed from August to October when humpbacks travel up and down
00:32our coast.
00:33It's not just now the whale's life at risk, it's the rescuer's life at risk and that can
00:37all be avoided just by having these nets out.
00:40SeaWorld's rescue team has been flat out all migration season.
00:45This year's been unfortunately very, very busy and the majority of that has been fishing
00:50gear.
00:51So we've had rescues everywhere from up north of Caloundra, up that way, all the way down
00:56to the Victorian border.
00:57The trapped whales become highly distressed.
01:01All they want to do is get away from our boat.
01:03They usually show you with their body language but also vocalisations.
01:06You can hear them, it sounds like a screaming noise sometimes.
01:09After a successful rescue, the team attaches a tracking device.
01:14This whale tagging program is providing scientists with more information on how entanglements
01:20impact the species.
01:23We're looking at where are the hotspots, where are the most of the whales getting entangled
01:27and what type of gear is impacting these whales.
01:30It's not all bad news.
01:32The trackers have uncovered some quirky behaviour only seen on the Gold Coast.
01:38Sand rolling, so whales, humpback whales are rolling in sand as a new behaviour.
01:43But we're also discovering more and more newborn calves, so we do see a lot of the younger
01:48whales come in here with their mums and they're resting.
01:53For more UN videos visit www.un.org
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