Published Wednesday, 19 November, 2008 at 03:12 PM
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries
The Honourable Tim Mulherin
Gold Coast Whale observers thanked for their help
Primary Industries and Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin today thanked Whale Observer volunteers on the Gold Coast who provide crucial information about whale entanglements during the annual migration.
Mr Mulherin said: “Bather safety is the number one priority when it comes to the shark control program.
“But the Queensland Government also continues to ensure that incidental catch in shark control gear is kept to a minimum and that there is a speedy response to assist any whales that get entangled.
“The volunteers have been actively working with the DPI&F Marine Animal Release Teams throughout this whale migration season to confirm entanglements and improve response times.
“Since 2000, 23 whales have been caught in shark netting in Queensland. Of these entanglements, 20 have been successfully freed by our Marine Animal Release Teams based on the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and in Mackay.”
“Volunteers have been instrumental in raising the alarm.
“They help us deploy our resources quickly if an animal needs to be freed and also help us ensure that resources are not deployed for a false alarm.
“Thanks to volunteers we have reduced our response rate to false entanglement reports by 90%.
“For instance this year on the Gold Coast we have logged 27 reports of whales being entangled.
“Only two turned out to be actual entanglements. One freed itself and the other was freed by one of our rescue teams in conjunction with Seaworld.
“Volunteers were crucial in helping us determine that those two cases were actual entanglements,” Mr Mulherin said.
To recognise the volunteers’ efforts, Mr Mulherin today presented certificates of appreciation to 11 of the 18 Whale Observer volunteers on the Gold Coast.
“The Volunteer Whale Observer Program started in 2005 with the concept of encouraging and involving people who reside in high rise buildings along Gold Coast beaches to report possible entanglements in shark control equipment,” said Mr Mulherin.
“Since introducing the program, volunteers have become our eyes in the sky.
“From their vantage point, the volunteers can spot entanglements very early on and this helps us organise a timely response.
“The program has grown during the past few years and there are now 18 volunteers involved between Coolangatta and Main Beach,” Mr Mulherin said.
DPI&F Shark Control Program Manager Tony Ham said volunteer assistance had improved the response time of the Marine Animal Rescue Team.
“This year was a particularly busy season and without the help of the volunteers we wouldn’t have been able to achieve successful rescues,” said Mr Ham.
Mr Ham said that when a new volunteer joins the program they receive binoculars and training from DPI&F about how to identify legitimate animal entanglements.
“This includes how to judge the length of the animal and the distance from the equipment,” said Mr Ham.
“Following this training, the volunteers are then able to provide accurate reports to the department to enable swift responses.”
Anyone who spots a whale or other marine animal tangled in shark netting should call the 24-hour Shark Hotline on 1800 806 891.
Media: Mark Symons 32396530
Mr Mulherin said: “Bather safety is the number one priority when it comes to the shark control program.
“But the Queensland Government also continues to ensure that incidental catch in shark control gear is kept to a minimum and that there is a speedy response to assist any whales that get entangled.
“The volunteers have been actively working with the DPI&F Marine Animal Release Teams throughout this whale migration season to confirm entanglements and improve response times.
“Since 2000, 23 whales have been caught in shark netting in Queensland. Of these entanglements, 20 have been successfully freed by our Marine Animal Release Teams based on the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and in Mackay.”
“Volunteers have been instrumental in raising the alarm.
“They help us deploy our resources quickly if an animal needs to be freed and also help us ensure that resources are not deployed for a false alarm.
“Thanks to volunteers we have reduced our response rate to false entanglement reports by 90%.
“For instance this year on the Gold Coast we have logged 27 reports of whales being entangled.
“Only two turned out to be actual entanglements. One freed itself and the other was freed by one of our rescue teams in conjunction with Seaworld.
“Volunteers were crucial in helping us determine that those two cases were actual entanglements,” Mr Mulherin said.
To recognise the volunteers’ efforts, Mr Mulherin today presented certificates of appreciation to 11 of the 18 Whale Observer volunteers on the Gold Coast.
“The Volunteer Whale Observer Program started in 2005 with the concept of encouraging and involving people who reside in high rise buildings along Gold Coast beaches to report possible entanglements in shark control equipment,” said Mr Mulherin.
“Since introducing the program, volunteers have become our eyes in the sky.
“From their vantage point, the volunteers can spot entanglements very early on and this helps us organise a timely response.
“The program has grown during the past few years and there are now 18 volunteers involved between Coolangatta and Main Beach,” Mr Mulherin said.
DPI&F Shark Control Program Manager Tony Ham said volunteer assistance had improved the response time of the Marine Animal Rescue Team.
“This year was a particularly busy season and without the help of the volunteers we wouldn’t have been able to achieve successful rescues,” said Mr Ham.
Mr Ham said that when a new volunteer joins the program they receive binoculars and training from DPI&F about how to identify legitimate animal entanglements.
“This includes how to judge the length of the animal and the distance from the equipment,” said Mr Ham.
“Following this training, the volunteers are then able to provide accurate reports to the department to enable swift responses.”
Anyone who spots a whale or other marine animal tangled in shark netting should call the 24-hour Shark Hotline on 1800 806 891.
Media: Mark Symons 32396530