Data from: Regional movements of satellite-tagged whale sharks Rhincodon typus in the Gulf of Aden

To gain insight into whale shark (Rhincodon typus) movement patterns in
the Western Indian Ocean, we deployed eight pop-up satellite tags at an
aggregation site in the Arta Bay region of the Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti
in the winter months of 2012, 2016 and 2017. Tags revealed movements
ranging from local-scale around the Djibouti aggregation site, regional
movements along the coastline of Somaliland, movements north into the Red
Sea, and a large-scale (>1000 km) movement to the east coast of
Somalia, outside of the Gulf of Aden. Vertical movement data revealed high
occupation of the top ten meters of the water column, diel vertical
movement patterns and deep diving behaviour. Long-distance movements
recorded both here and in previous studies suggest that connectivity
between the whale sharks tagged at the Djibouti aggregation and other
documented aggregations in the region are likely within annual timeframes.
In addition, wide-ranging movements through multiple nations, as well as
the high use of surface waters recorded, likely exposes whale sharks in
this region to several anthropogenic threats, including targeted and
bycatch fisheries and ship-strikes. Area-based management approaches
focusing on seasonal hotspots offer a way forward in the conservation of
whale sharks in the Western Indian Ocean.