Media Release 22- 7- 14.
Marine conservation yacht Migaloo 2 warns of more whale deaths in shark nets…
Migaloo 2 and crew. Remove shark nets
Marine conservation yacht Migaloo 2 sailed from Byron bay to the Gold Coast last week holding up banners off Snapper Rocks shark nets saying that shark nets need to be removed. Skipper of Migaloo 2, Dean Jefferys said, “ Only days after sailing along the Gold coast and warning that these shark nets and drum lines need to be removed becuase of danger to the humpback whale migration and other marine life a baby whale was tangled up and drowned in one of these nets and a dolphin killed by a drum line.Shark nets are purely cosmetic to convince tourists they are “safe”. The nets do not protect anything at all – sharks can swim over, under, and around the nets. Most sharks and other marine life die inside the nets trying to get back to sea from the shore and the by catch is enormous. From 1960 and 1990 shark nets entangled 216 dolphins, 2140 turtles, 552 dugongs including many migrating humpback. They should be removed immediately to prevent more needless marine deaths. 29 whales have been caught in shark nets since 2000; of those 26 have been successfully freed. Some are not found and die slowly from suffocation or wounds from the nets. Last migration season six whales were tangled and another baby humpback died in a shark net of Sydney. The shark drum line policy needs to end and these soft rope sharknets need to go. If fear and propaganda still has a place in promoting overseas tourist then at the very least they should be replaced with the harder plastic nets that dont tangle up and kill marine life”
In the photo taken By Darious Kissner from Left to Right Earth Guardians from Byron are Jasmin Jeferys, Satima Ornano, Jack Norris, and Sage Jefferys
more info see http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/baby-humpback-whale-dies-in-shark-nets-off-bilinga/story-fnj94j0t-1226996463582
and www.ecosharkbarrier.com.au