Data for Chapter 2: The Needle in the Haystack: Uncovering the First Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) Aggregation in the Coral Sea

Full description

This study aimed to identify and characterise the first whale shark aggregation on Australia's east coast by predicting potential sites through a data layering approach and confirming their presence through targeted field expeditions. A combination of historical sightings data, expert and anecdotal knowledge, and scientific knowledge from other whale shark aggregation sites led to the identification of Wreck Bay, situated at the far northern Great Barrier Reef, as potential aggregation habitat. An initial field expedition in 2019 confirmed the aggregation, and three subsequent voyages in 2021–2024 gathered further demographic and movement data. DATA & FILE OVERVIEW File List: 1. Whalesharks_Sightings_EastCoastAUS_data_repo.csv This file contains the filtered sightings used to generate Figure 1 of the main article. Historical sightings data were sourced from several public databases that report marine species sightings. These included Sharkbook: Wildbook for Sharks (https://www.sharkbook.ai) and the Eye on the Reef sightings network (https://eotr.gbrmpa.gov.au/home), as well as additional anecdotal reports from members of the public and citizen scientists. Whale shark sightings on the east coast of Australia, reported to variuous public sightings databases until 2018. Note, that the coordinates of one encounter was shifted by 25 km due to a data embargo. Data sources as per table: BOF = Biopixel Oceans Foundation; https://biopixeloceans.org EOR = Eye on the Reef sightings network (GBRMPA); https://eotr.gbrmpa.gov.au/sightings Sharkbook = Sharkbook: Wildbook for whale sharks; https://www.sharkbook.ai Community Whaleshark = additional data provided by Jessica Funnel 2. Whalesharks_SSM_SpotsSplash_NedleintheHaystack_repo.csv This file contains the SSM geolocations of satellite tracked whale sharks tagged in the Wreck Bay aggregation, as well as of the coast of Cairns and Coooktown between 2018 and 2023. Software/equipment used to create/collect the data: Wildlife Computers (WC) GPE3 WC Tag Agent WC MK10 Host Vemco VUE Software/equipment used to manipulate/analyse the data: RStudio QGIS Python