In Australia,
a humpback whale became tangled up in a type of fishing gear called a "drum line," and
has since disappeared. Experts are attempting to track the animal, but they haven't been seen since Sunday, June 15.
We don't know yet if this majestic creature is safe from the dangers that human fishing lines caused. What we do know is that this cannot be allowed to happen again.Sign the petition to protect humpback whales and biodiversity in Australia's waters!
Experts aren't sure how long the whale has been tangled up in the drum line and swimming around with the gear twisted around its body.
Getting caught in fishing gear or shark nets can be deadly to any marine life, and the same is true for whales.
Humpback whales have already contended with a difficult past. Humans had previously hunted the large animals almost to the point of complete extinction. Now, luckily, their populations have fought their way back, and approximately 30,000 - 50,000 remain alive in the wild.
But those numbers could easily start declining again, especially as
whales face a future filled with a variety of hazards: climate change, coral reef die-offs, plastic pollution, habitat destruction, and more. We cannot be adding even more dangers and risks to their lives!
Drum lines are a danger to whales and even to endangered species. We are already overfishing the oceans! They're also sometimes used as a very ineffective form of 'shark control,' but they are more effective at
indiscriminately trapping and killing any other animals that come into their paths. We don't need to leave this kind of equipment out to harm ocean wildlife.
Sign the petition to demand an end to drum lines around the biodiverse coasts of Australia!