Not waiting for experts Young people rescue humpback whale from a net - now facing a fine

Saving whales can be dangerous - and expensive in Australia. Four young people are facing a fine in Queensland for not waiting for a team of experts.

In Australia, a group of young people have saved a humpback whale from drowning - and are now risking legal consequences including a hefty fine. The whale had become so entangled in a shark net off Marcoola Beach in the tropical state of Queensland on Monday that it could barely move.

Four young Australians who were doing yoga on the beach discovered the stressed marine mammal and called the authorities for help, as the Australian ABC reported, citing the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF). However, when no emergency services had arrived after an hour, the group reportedly took action themselves.

The four jumped into the water with their paddle boards and then tried to cut through the net with a knife. The whale was completely entangled in two layers of net, said one of the rescuers, Brenton Owens. "It was on the surface, but it wasn't moving."

The top priority was to remove parts of the net that had covered one of the humpback whale's eyes and calm the animal down. Eventually, the group managed to free the whale, which immediately swam away.

Strict laws in Queensland

The ministry confirmed that a report of a whale in distress had been received by the relevant hotline in the early morning. However, the whale had already been freed by the time the team of experts arrived at the beach.

According to Queensland legislation, people who do not keep at least 100 meters away from a whale at sea face a fine of up to 19,300 Australian dollars (12,000 euros) - unless there was a "reasonable cause". In addition, a distance of 20 meters must be maintained from shark nets. The maximum fine for non-compliance is the equivalent of around 19,800 euros.

Breast fin weighing tons

A DAF spokesperson said that the ministry was considering launching an investigation into possible violations of these laws following the latest incident. "For their own safety, we remind the public not to approach whales caught in nets or attempt to free them," he emphasized.

"Humpback whales are huge animals, exceptionally heavy, and in distress they behave quite unpredictably," the ABC quoted Naomi Gardiner, a lecturer in marine biology at James Cook University, as saying. The pectoral fin alone can be five meters long and weigh up to a ton. Stressed whales could knock people unconscious or even kill them with a single movement of their body, the expert warned.

dpa