Whale calf freed from nets on Gold Coast

The animal was spotted in trouble by people exercising at a surf club at about 5.30am and they raised the alarm.

A frantic operation involving Sea World experts was launched and it was freed after about 45 minutes.

Multiple have become stuck in shark nets on the Australian coast during the spring migration south.

Drone footage was captured of the tired humpback heavily ensnared in the nets off Noosa Main Beach by hobbyist drone pilot Tom Loubardi, prompted a rescue mission.

“I was very sad, I am trying to record as much as I can because I love animals and I love whales a lot,” he said.

Wildlife advocates have called for shark nets to be removed after data was published about the number of endangered and non-target marine life that are caught and often killed each year.

The mayor of Australia’s most iconic beach has called for shark nets to be removed from Bondi as they create “a false sense of safety”.

“(They) are only 150m long, six metres high and set at a depth of about 10m. They’re not there to actually create a barrier between swimmers and sharks, but they sort of help disrupt some of the swimming patterns,” mayor Paula Masselo said.

“Australia has a global responsibility to protect vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered species,” Sea Shepherd Australia’s Managing Director Jeff Hansen said.