Design of aerial surveys to determine the distribution and abundance of Whale Sharks in the Ningaloo Marine Park.

Remote sampling (TOWVID, BRUVS) of corals and fish in outer Shark Bay (Cruise 6082). Diver-based coral and fish surveys at Ningaloo and Muiron Islands (Cruise 6122). To establish spatially replicated baseline data for Ningaloo, the Muiron Islands and outer Shark Bay suitable for monitoring changes in community condition and attributing these to major disturbances, whether background exposure to temperature anomalies, cyclones or other natural perturbations, or in the unlikely event of a major hydrocarbon release from Oil and Gas activities in the region. Baseline surveys will use AIMS Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) methods and experimental design approach, which are a global benchmark for quantifying changes in benthic and fish communities, and will enable direct comparison of Ningaloo and the Muiron Islands plus outer Shark Bay with baseline datasets from other reefs of the NW shelf, e.g., the Rowley Shoals and Scott Reef, other offshore submerged banks and shoals, as well as with past data collected by AIMS at Ningaloo.

Ningaloo Reef currents: implications for coral spawn dispersal, zooplankton and whale shark abundance.

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.

Distribution, abundance and movement patterns of sharks and rays in the Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia

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

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.

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

This dataset describes the predicted occurrence of juvenile sharks around Northwest Australia, mapped over a 0.01 degree spatial grid. Juvenile sharks were mapped at two taxonomic levels: order by including all juvenile sharks sampled (all juveniles) and species by considering the three most abundant species sampled separately (grey reef (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos), sandbar (Carcharhinus plumbeus), and whitetip reef (Triaenodon obesus) sharks). The data cover the period 2003-2013 and are derived from an analysis of count data derived from baited remote underwater videos deployed through various sampling programs. Further detail can be found in the following peer-reviewed publication: Oh, BZL, Sequeira, AMM, Meekan, MG, Ruppert, JLW and Meeuwig, JJ (2017), Predicting occurrence of juvenile shark habitat to improve conservation planning. Conservation Biology, 31: 635–645. doi:10.1111/cobi.12868 Below is a full list of species, with contributions to the total counted (%): Silvertip shark / Carcharhinus albimarginatus – 4.14% Grey reef shark / Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos – 28.06% Bronze whaler / Carcharhinus brachyurus – 0.18% Galapagos shark / Carcharhinus galapagensis – 0.09% Bull shark / Carcharhinus leucas – 0.18% Common-Australian blacktip shark / Carcharhinus limbatus-C.tilstoni – 1.38% Blacktip reef shark / Carcharhinus melanopterus – 1.56% Sandbar shark / Carcharhinus plumbeus – 4.78% Spot-tail shark / Carcharhinus sorrah – 0.18% Tiger shark / Galeocerdo cuvier – 2.39% Sliteye-Sharpnose shark / Loxodon macrorhinus-Rhizoprionodon spp. – 6.35% Lemon shark / Negaprion acutidens – 1.01% Whitetip reef shark / Triaenodon obesus – 18.95% Tawny shark / Nebrius ferrugineus – 0.83% Grey carpetshark / Chiloscyllium punctatum – 1.38% Taselled wobbegong / Eucrossorhinus dasypogon – 0.09% Scalloped hammerhead / Sphyrna lewini – 0.46% Great hammerhead / Sphyrna mokarran – 3.86% Zebra shark / Stegostoma fasciatum – 0.83% Sicklefin houndshark / Hemitriakis falcata – 1.01% Grey gummy shark / Mustelus ravidus – 0.28% Archived BRUVS video files used in this study are the intellectual property of multiple institutions and industry partners and are not published in this record. See credits for further information.

Water samples were collected over two weeks directly behind individual whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef, Australia in May, 2019. A total of 56 seawater samples were collected, filtered immediately through sterile 0.22 μm filters, and stored at -80°C. Tissue biopsy samples were then taken from the same animal using a hand spear with a dart head, totalling 77 individual samples. Individual whale sharks were identified by their unique spot and stipe patters through photographs analysed by I³S Classic Software. Re-sightings of the same individual were removed from the dataset. Following photo-identification, a total of 48 unique individuals were confirmed, of which 42 consisted of both tissue and seawater samples. Additional samples were later discarded from the study, resulting in libraries for 28 seawater samples, and whale shark d-loop haplotypes. DNA extractions of the tissue samples were carried out and PCR amplification of the mitochondrial control region and reaction protocol verified. Seawater samples were processed and environmental DNA was extracted. Statistical analysis was performed with R Studio.