Multi-Year Impacts of Ecotourism on Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) Visitation at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

A five-year analysis of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) encounters at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia, found no evidence that ecotourism interactions negatively impacted shark visitation patterns. Instead, physical and biological environmental factors were identified as the primary drivers of whale shark presence. The study, which examined 2,823 encounter records for 951 individual sharks collected between 2007 and 2011, revealed that re-encountered sharks tended to arrive earlier, stay longer, and be encountered more frequently within a season compared to those seen only once. Sequential year comparisons showed no consistent patterns of disturbance, and shark departure rates were negatively correlated with the number of operator trips, further supporting the lack of ecotourism impact. This research provides a methodological framework for assessing the effects of ecotourism on marine megafauna visitation over multiple years.

Sanzogni, R. L., Meekan, M. G., & Meeuwig, J. J. (2015). Multi-Year Impacts of Ecotourism on Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) Visitation at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Plos One, 10(9), e0127345. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0127345