A four-metre baby humpback whale has been freed after it became entangled in a shark control drum line off Main Beach on North Stradbroke Island.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife said the juvenile whale got stuck about 7:30am on Sunday, sparking a five-hour rescue operation.
Several rescue boats were sent to the area as teams worked to free the distressed whale.
A spokesperson said two adult whales, thought to be related to the juvenile, were located nearby as the rescue took place.
Griffith University whale expert Dr Olaf Meynecke said the baby humpback could be as young as two months old.
He said the calf's mother would have been one of the whales watching on.
"They have a very strong bond between the mum and the calf, which lasts up to three years," Dr Meynecke said.
"The mother would never leave the calf. The other whale is likely not the father but an escorting whale who is there for support.
"I am not surprised there are more incidents happening over the last few weeks, there is footage showing up every day of mothers and newborns."
'Time to replace nets with drone surveillance and drum lines'
Dr Meynecke said while the whale has been freed, there was no telling if it would survive in the long term.
"It's quite traumatic for the animals, and we don't really know what the impacts of the stress are on the animals," he said.
"It's extremely distressing. They have the same fear of drowning as we do, so they try everything to stay on the surface.
"It's not only stressful for the calves but for the mother who is trying to save her calf but not able to do anything about it."
The rescue effort on Stradbroke Island is the latest of several incidents this year where whales have become trapped in nets or drum lines off the Queensland coast.
In June, an adult whale and a calf were rescued after they became stuck in shark nets off the Gold Coast.
Earlier in the year, a recreational diver was hailed a hero on social media for freeing a baby humpback whale trapped in shark nets off Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast.
The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Queensland said 59 whales had been entangled in shark nets or drum lines, with two dying, since 2006.
Dr Meynecke said SMART drum lines, or baited hooks, caused less entrapments than traditional nets and should be trialled in South-East Queensland waters.
"It's time to replace nets with drone surveillance and drum lines with the tagging of sharks," he said.
