Two whale entanglements recently occurred in the Noosa Main Beach shark nets, on 17 September and 6 October 2025. Once reported to the Shark Control Program Hotline, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries’ contractor, Paddy Marine, was dispatched on both instances to release the whales. In the first case, the contractor arrived at 9:20pm, several hours after the first reports, and successfully released both whales after 1.5 hours. In the latter case, the contractor took 2.5 hours to arrive and released the whale 45 minutes later.
While the responses and outcomes were appreciated, we contacted the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) requesting information on what is needed to ensure faster rescue protocols and response times until such time the community requests for a trial replacement of nets with non-lethal alternatives during whale migration is realised. Sandy will provide further update once a response is received.
A reminder: if residents or visitors see any entanglements, please report them to the Shark Control Program Hotline on 1800 806 891 and do not attempt to rescue or cut away the nets as it is a dangerous undertaking, as well could put the whales at further risk.
At a recent community roundtable organised by Oceans for All on 26 September, 70% of organisations (including local business, environmental, and water user groups) supported their request for a trial to replace shark nets in Noosa with alternatives during the winter whale migration season. This position is further underscored by previous Noosa MP surveys showing 75% support and Noosa Council’s endorsement.
Sandy continues her long-time advocacy for safe alternatives to shark nets on behalf of our community, and will speak about this during the next parliamentary sitting commencing 13 October.
Further information on the community roundtable is included below and the signed community position statement from attending organizations will be submitted to the state government on behalf of signatories and in support of Noosa Council’s request.
Summary of Latest Updates
As mentioned in our July 2025 Noosa 360 update, Noosa Council voted to request that the state government “trial removing mesh nets, with associated education and consultation, during the whale migration season in Noosa while continuing other measures such as aerial surveillance drones and catch-alert drumlines as per the KPMG review recommendations”.
The state government–commissioned KPMG report into the Shark Control Program, stated that efforts to minimise negative impacts on marine ecosystems are not currently being achieved by the program and recommended the removal of nets during the winter whale migration season.
In July 2025, Sandy submitted a Question on Notice regarding this recommendation, asking when trials of removing shark nets during the winter whale migration season would begin. However, the Minister for Primary Industries responded that only recommendations prioritising human safety were adopted. Read the Minister’s full response at www.sandybolton.com/shark-nets-and-control-measures-update-july-2025
Community Roundtable Organised by Oceans for All (Noosa Shark Net Working Group)
As mentioned earlier, on 26 September 2025, following a whale entanglement, Sandy chaired a meeting on behalf of Oceans for All (formerly the Noosa Shark Net Working Group) for local groups to declare their position on supporting the trial requested by Noosa Council, and to obtain a concrete stance from each stakeholder to present to the state government.
Minutes from this meeting can be read here.
Stakeholders invited included participants from the original Noosa Shark Net Working Group meeting in October 2023, as well those who have joined since. Position statements are also welcomed from other Noosa Shire stakeholders via noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au, indicating whether they are ‘for’, ‘against’, ‘neutral’, or wished to ‘abstain’ regarding the position statement below, as obtained from those who attended the recent meeting.
With the Queensland Government releasing the new Shark Control Management Plan 2025-2029, the organisation listed below calls for:
- a trial of removing shark nets during the winter whale migration (June to November), as per recommendation 3.2 in the KPMG Shark Control Program Report, and
- during this six-month migration period, the use of non-lethal alternatives such as drones, especially considering the SharkSmart Drone Program has now been made a permanent initiative.
In addition, commends the Queensland Government for:
- expanding the drone surveillance program mentioned earlier to twenty beaches, enhancing real-time monitoring and early warning systems.
- a comprehensive shark population assessment to improve understanding of migratory patterns.
- the expansion of the SharkSmart education initiative, which was previously identified as underperforming in several areas by KPMG.
- a commitment to year-round management of shark control equipment, ensuring nets and drumlines are not left unattended over weekends and holidays — the times of highest beach use and risk.
We encourage everyone to share feedback on the position statement with our office via noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au, and to share views on the Shark Control Program with the minister via primaryindustries@ministerial.qld.gov.au (copied to our office at noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au).
Further information
For our previous Noosa 360 updates on the Shark Control Program, please visit www.sandybolton.com/?s=shark.
Information regarding the October 2023 meeting can be found at www.sandybolton.com/shark-nets-and-control-measures-update-october-2023.
To read the full independent KPMG Report into the Shark Control Program, visit www.bit.ly/3VSyBT6.