To determine Whale Shark numbers at Ningaloo Marine Park by working with whale shark industry videographers to collect footage - part of the Whale Shark Management Program.

Modelling whale shark distributions on Ningaloo Reef with remote sensing GIS

Strip-transect aerial surveys of Shark Bay, Ningaloo Reef and Exmouth Gulf were conducted during the winters of 1989 and 1994. These surveys were designed primarily to estimate the abundance and distribution of dugongs, turtles, dolphins and other Megafauna.

From April 2007 to June 2009, six field trips were undertaken to investigate the elasmobranch faunal composition of the Ningaloo Marine Park (NMP), determine the distribution and abundance of species, and examine the habitat utilisation, movement patterns and activity space of selected key species. Dive and longline surveys, passive acoustic telemetry and satellite tracking were used to collect data. Of interest to management, was whether existing sanctuary zones were effective for elasmobranchs as well as the location and timing of aggregation sites reported for some species.

The geographical and temporal boundaries of whales of Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia

Baseline data collection on Whale Sharks by photo-identification, Whale Shark sex & size and collection of plankton samples to determine Whale Shark prey items.

The North Atlantic Right Whale Aerial Survey is a NOAA Fisheries program conducted by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, which conducts aerial surveys to locate and record the seasonal distribution of North Atlantic Right Whales (Eubalaena glacialis) off the northeastern coast of the United States. The purpose of these North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) aerial surveys is to monitor the population, track injury rates, and identify areas of entanglement and vessel collision risks. The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA) mandates the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to evaluate the status of the NARW population and reduce mortality below the population's Potential Biological Removal (PBR) in order for the species to recover. A major component of the surveys is photo identification of individual right whales to estimate the population and its annual rate of mortality. Distance sampling data is collected for all large whale species during systematic aerial surveys of neritic waters of the eastern seaboard of the U.S. Additional aerial surveys are focused in areas of seasonal right whale occurrence. Right whale absolute density (individuals km2) is calculated from spatial, temporal, and environmental covariates, accounting for detectability differences between observation conditions, and corrected for perception and availability biases, whale dive behavior, group composition, and group size. Seasonal densities are calculated using covariate maps. When right whales are encountered, the aircraft breaks from the systematic trackline to circle and collect photographs of natural markings on the whales for individual identification using handheld digital cameras. Estimation of the NARW population is based on a state-space model of the sighting histories of individual whales constructed from the central photo-ID catalog curated at the New England Aquarium. Most of the population is photographically captured each year. The comprehensive capture effort provides small credible intervals to the population estimate, which in turn provides relatively precise estimates of annual mortality. High precision estimates of right whale mortality are critical to meet conservation goals. Photographic captures in specific areas over shorter periods can provide estimates of both local abundance and seasonal residency of individuals. The track lines displayed here are surveyed by the NEFSC or its contractors. While they illustrate the general extent of survey coverage, they do not represent a comprehensive record. For near real-time visualizations of survey effort, please see WhaleMap.

The North Atlantic Right Whale Aerial Survey is a NOAA Fisheries program conducted by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, which conducts aerial surveys to locate and record the seasonal distribution of North Atlantic Right Whales (Eubalaena glacialis) off the northeastern coast of the United States. The purpose of these North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) aerial surveys is to monitor the population, track injury rates, and identify areas of entanglement and vessel collision risks. The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA) mandates the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to evaluate the status of the NARW population and reduce mortality below the population's Potential Biological Removal (PBR) in order for the species to recover. A major component of the surveys is photo identification of individual right whales to estimate the population and its annual rate of mortality. Distance sampling data is collected for all large whale species during systematic aerial surveys of neritic waters of the eastern seaboard of the U.S. Additional aerial surveys are focused in areas of seasonal right whale occurrence. Right whale absolute density (individuals km2) is calculated from spatial, temporal, and environmental covariates, accounting for detectability differences between observation conditions, and corrected for perception and availability biases, whale dive behavior, group composition, and group size. Seasonal densities are calculated using covariate maps. When right whales are encountered, the aircraft breaks from the systematic trackline to circle and collect photographs of natural markings on the whales for individual identification using handheld digital cameras. Estimation of the NARW population is based on a state-space model of the sighting histories of individual whales constructed from the central photo-ID catalog curated at the New England Aquarium. Most of the population is photographically captured each year. The comprehensive capture effort provides small credible intervals to the population estimate, which in turn provides relatively precise estimates of annual mortality. High precision estimates of right whale mortality are critical to meet conservation goals. Photographic captures in specific areas over shorter periods can provide estimates of both local abundance and seasonal residency of individuals.

From April 2007 to June 2009, six field trips were undertaken to investigate the elasmobranch faunal composition of the Ningaloo Marine Park (NMP), determine the distribution and abundance of species, and examine the habitat utilisation, movement patterns and activity space of selected key species. Dive and longline surveys, passive acoustic telemetry and satellite tracking were used to collect data. Of interest to management, was whether existing sanctuary zones were effective for elasmobranchs as well as the location and timing of aggregation sites reported for some species. Satellite tagging data: Two types of platform transmitter terminals (PTTs) were used, Wildlife Computers (Redmond, USA) smart position or temperature transmitting tag (SPOT4 or SPOT5) and SPLASH tags. Longline survey data Longline fishing was used to survey elasmobranchs outside the reef and was carried out from the Western Australia Fishery Department vessel RV 'Naturaliste'. A total of 111 longline sets were made between Three Mile Camp towards the southern extremity of the Marine Park, to northeast of the Muiron Islands outside the northern limits of the Park; the distribution of these sets are shown in the thumbnail. Of these 111 sets, 17 were in sanctuary zones and 94 in non-sanctuary zones (in the thumbnail picture the hatched areas are sanctuary zones). Lagoon and reef edge dive survey data Snorkel and SCUBA underwater visual surveys were conducted as part of four field trips to Ningaloo in April and June 2007 and August and December 2008. The June and August surveys were restricted to the reef edge on SCUBA, while the April and December surveys were mainly on snorkel and in the lagoon. While the original intention was to provide coverage through the different seasons, poor weather conditions coincided with most of the planned fieldwork (including cyclone 'Nicholas') resulting in re-scheduling of some trips. A total of 137 sites were surveyed between Vlaming Head on the northeast of the Cape to Gnaraloo in the southern part of the Marine Park (see thumbnail picture). Of these surveys, 89 were in sanctuary zones and 48 in non-sanctuary zones (sanctuary zones are shown as hatched in the picture). Acoustic data Elasmobranchs were tagged with acoustic tags and subsequently monitored with acoustic receivers (Vemco VR2, VR2W and VR3) moored on the seabed that constitute the Ningaloo Reef Ecosystem Tracking Array (NRETA). This array is part of the nationwide network of marine acoustic monitoring, the Australian Acoustic Tagging and Monitoring System (AATAMS). A total of 96 acoustic receivers are deployed at Ningaloo Reef between Coral Bay and Tantabiddi. A total of 56 acoustic tags were deployed on six species of sharks and three species of rays in the Ningaloo Marine Park in February 2008. Data is accessible through the IMOS AATAMS website 11 Nervous Sharks (Carcharhinus cautus) 10 Giant Shovelnose Rays (Glaucostegus typus) 9 Blacktip Reef Sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) 9 Grey Reef Sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) 8 Cowtail Stingrays (Pastinachus atrus) 4 Porcupine Rays (Urogymnus asperrimus) 4 Lemon Sharks (Negaprion acutidens) 1 Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) 1 Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus)

Videos from deployments of animal-borne cameras on whale sharks and provided by tourism operators at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia Datsheet of observations of predation events from CATS video tags