The head of marine sciences at Sea World is calling on the Queensland government to rethink its shark net program after a whale became trapped off the Gold Coast for the second time this year.
A crew from Sea World freed a 7m juvenile humpback whale after it became caught in nets and was seen spinning in waters off Burleigh Heads on Monday.
Trevor Long, director of marine sciences at Sea World, is confident it will continue its migration north but wants the Labor government to reconsider shark nets out of concern more marine life will get stuck.
"It's the second whale caught this year. We already had one caught on the Sunshine Coast but from this point on. We'll see more animals trapped," Mr Long said.
"There are over 30,000 whales passing the coast every year (and) we are making a plea to government to look at the situation."
Mr Long has proposed replacing some nets with baited drumlines to reduce the number of animals that become caught and die.
"These shark nets are indiscriminate killers and there is a whole lot of new technology out there now," he said.
Fisheries Minister Mark Furner's office has been contacted for comment.
