Taxpayers Fund Millions, But Volunteers Do the Saving: Noosa Whale Entanglement

On the afternoon of Wednesday, 17 September, a mother whale and her calf were found entangled in lethal shark nets off Noosa, Queensland. What could have ended in tragedy for both whales was prevented thanks to the dedication of unpaid volunteer drone pilots and passionate community members.

The entanglement was first discovered by Noosa local drone pilot, Geoff Aquino. and the authorities were quickly alerted. At this time, the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) advised it was too late in the day to attempt an immediate rescue, and they would attend the next day to attempt a release.

With community pressure, and the footage from Geoff Aquino clearly showing that the calf would not survive the night, this position shifted and the shark control contractor was dispatched to attempt a nighttime rescue.

Drone footage of contractors attempt to free the whales at night

On arrival a few hours later, they could not locate the whales in the dark conditions. They had no tools or resources onboard to resolve this situation themselves, seemingly relying only on torches. They turned to Envoy Foundation drone pilot Erin Kirkwood, calling her and asking if her thermal imaging drone had eyes on the situation. From a safe distance, she guided the contractors with her drone spotlight, helping them position their vessel in order to disentangle the whales. Without Erin and the Envoy Foundation thermal imaging drone, the contractors would have had no chance in locating the struggling animals.

Thermal imaging drone footage, showing how Erin Kirkwood was able to track the whales and direct rescue efforts.

The calf was eventually cut free. But the mother whale remained entangled and disappeared from the contractors’ sight. Again, they relied on Erin, who tracked the whales and provided live updates over the phone until they moved further offshore. At that point, the contractors still had no visual contact.

Erin’s final verifiable footage shows the calf swimming free while the mother remained visibly entangled. Despite this, DPI later claimed both whales were successfully released, without providing any footage to prove it.

Requests for evidence have been met with stonewalling, with the DPI insisting such records can only be accessed through a Right To Information (RTI) request.

Adding to the absurdity of the entire situation, another whale entanglement was recorded at Marcoola the following day, and the very first responders on site were not the contractors tasked with freeing the whales, but police officers on jet skis. Their role? To ensure that compassionate members of the public didn’t risk breaking the law by stepping in to help the entangled whales themselves, as occurred at that beach in 2024. Instead of enabling immediate rescue, resources were directed toward policing would-be good Samaritans, while the paid contractors responsible for the job were nowhere to be seen.

Police preventing any member of the public from rescuing an entangled whale while it waits for 'official' rescue attempt.

Independent volunteers who work independently have dedicated countless hours, often in unsafe weather conditions, to monitoring shark control equipment, documenting entanglements, and alerting authorities. The government and its contractors, meanwhile, receive multi-million dollar contracts, paid with taxpayer dollars, to run a program that is both obsolete and deadly.

These incidents highlight deep flaws in the Queensland Government’s Shark Control Program. Instead of ensuring rapid, competent responses, QLD DPI continues to lean on unpaid volunteers.

The reality is stark: without the volunteer’s drone technology and skill set, the whales entangled off Noosa would almost certainly have died overnight.

The mother whale's fate remains uncertain, with no proof that she was ever freed, despite repeated requests.

Calls for Transparency and Change

In 2024, 1641 animals were entangled and hooked in the Queensland Crisafulli government’s Shark Control Program, including 22 whales and dolphins, 37 turtles, and 46 rays. More than 980 of these animals were killed.

Volunteers should not be carrying the burden of a program that already costs taxpayers millions. Nor should endangered marine life continue to pay with their lives for outdated policies. The Noosa entanglement is yet another example of why shark nets must be removed, why independent oversight is critical, and why real innovation, like drone technology, must replace obsolete, lethal methods.

Public funds currently allocated to the shark culling nets should be used to transition shark net contractors into roles supporting non-lethal alternatives that protect both human lives and marine life. There is a compelling case to support secure employment by re-allocating these funds to scaling up modern, non-lethal technologies already in place across the QLD coastline since the current Shark Control Program operates at the cost of zero outcomes, the unnecessary loss of marine life, and even potentially attracting more target sharks to predate upon the deceased carcasses on the nets.