Video of person climbing on dead humpback whale shared with police

A video which appears to show a person standing on a dead humpback whale that was caught in a shark net in the Illawarra has been referred to New South Wales Police.

Scarborough resident Hannah Barclay spotted the dead whale off the coast at Coledale on Tuesday afternoon after hearing about its discovery that morning.

Ms Barclay, who lives locally and volunteers for the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA), said she started recording a video after she saw a small boat approaching the carcass.

"I thought it was someone looking after the whale, and then all of a sudden they jumped on the whale and was posing with fishing rods," she said.

"I was so disgusted by their behaviour, so I videoed it and sent it to ORRCA."

The video has been shared with NSW Police by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).

ORRCA spokesperson Pip Jacobs described it as "confronting".

"We were made aware of an interaction with the whale carcass, which showed someone standing on the whale and being too close in proximity to the carcass on the water," Ms Jacobs said.

"It is now with these authorities to investigate further and decide next steps."

Interacting with marine animals is restricted under the Biodiversity Conservation Act.

In a statement, a NPWS spokesperson described the behaviour as "disrespectful and dangerous".

"We are shocked that people would think this is acceptable," they said.

"There are diseases and physical risks as well as penalties for interfering with dead whales."

Ms Barclay said the community's distress over the whale's death in the net had been exacerbated by the video.

"We can't have that behaviour in our community and we need to set a precedent to ensure this never happens again and that it's not celebrated," she said.

The whale washed up on Wombarra Beach on Tuesday evening, and was removed by Wollongong City Council on Thursday.

"For public safety, we urge residents to please stay away from the carcass site and to not enter the nearby water," a council spokesperson said.

Shark net debate reignites

The whale's death reignited debate over the use of the shark nets under the NSW Government's Shark Meshing (Bather Protection) program.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development confirmed the whale was entangled in its Coledale Beach shark net which had been reinstalled at the beach.

ORRCA said while it believed the whale died after becoming entangled in the net, that could not be confirmed until a necropsy was done.

Groups including Local Government NSW and animal rights organisations have previously called on the state government to abandon the netting program, but it returned last month.

The NSW government's Shark Meshing Management Plan states the program is covered under a state agreement, as well as by the continuing use exemption in the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said federal Environment Minister Murray Watt should remove the amendment as part of proposed reforms to the act, which were before the parliament.

"He can completely remove this exemption that allows these cruel and outdated programs to continue and he could do that easily," Senator Whish-Wilson said.

Mr Watt was not available for comment.

A statement provided by a NSW government spokesperson described the incident as "very sad".

"The NSW government will continue to investigate new shark mitigation technologies designed to minimise impacts on marine animals while protecting beachgoers," they said.