Whale Sharks of Western Australia

Whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, seasonally aggregate in coastal waters off Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. We review the oceanographic setting of the region and present evidence that such aggregations form as a result of migratory behavior associated with climatic and oceanographic processes. We utilise records of whale shark abundance collected at Ningaloo Reef from dedicated searches by boat and aircraft and from log sheets recorded by the tourism industry. 

Publications:
Wilson, S.G., J.G. Taylor, and A.F. Pearce. The seasonal aggregation of whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia; currents, migrations and the El Nino/Southern Oscillation. Environmental Biology of Fishes. 61:1-11. 2001.

Wilson, S.G., J.J. Polovina, B.S. Stewart, and M.G. Meekan. Movements of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) tagged at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Marine Biology. 148: 1157-1166. 2006.