Whitsundays to Wollongong Corridor is an important movement area for one shark species.

Tiger Sharks seasonally migrate through this area (Fitzpatrick et al. 2012; Holmes et al. 2014; Lipscombe et al. 2020; Barnett et al. 2022; Ikpe 2025; A Ikpe et al. unpubl. data 2025). Between 2007–2024, 74 archival satellite tags and satellite-linked tags were deployed in this area on male and female Tiger Sharks for a combined tracking duration of 20.8 years (Fitzpatrick et al. 2012; Holmes et al. 2014; Lipscombe et al. 2020; Barnett et al. 2022; A Ikpe et al. unpubl. data 2025). A total of 55 sharks provided useable tracking data, and these were tagged in far north Queensland (n = 10), Whitsundays (n = 15), southeast Queensland (n = 5), and the New South Wales north coast (n = 12), central coast (n = 6), and south coast (n = 6). The tagging location of one shark was unclear. Tagged sharks spanned across a range of sizes from 105–386 cm total length (TL) but excluded small neonates or young-of-the-year. Within this tracking group of 55 individuals, 25 sharks tagged in tropical waters maintained localised movements in the Whitsundays, at the northern end of the area (n = 15; Barnett et al. 2022), and at Raine Island (n = 10; Fitzpatrick et al. 2012), outside the northern boundary. One of those moved from the Whitsundays to Papua New Guinea, all outside the area. By contrast, the other 30 individuals tagged in subtropical and temperate waters were tracked moving along the eastern Australian coastline. Their movement was related to seasonal temperature-linked migrations, moving northwards in cooler months and southwards in warmer months, with sharks consistently moving in a narrow 22–26°C surface water temperature range (Holmes et al. 2014; Lipscombe et al. 2020; A Ikpe et al. unpubl. data 2025). Catch data along Australia’s east coast from government shark control programs (baited drumlines and nets) from 1950–2015 supported temperature as a key driver of Tiger Shark presence, with a peak in catch rates when water temperatures were ~22°C, regardless of latitude (Payne et al. 2018). Tiger Shark seasonal movements are also loosely tied to the seasonal movement of prey species, i.e., Humpback Whales Megaptera novaeangliae, marine turtles, and seabirds, as shown through prey distribution analyses (Niella et al. 2022) and dietary composition analyses (Heithaus 2001; A Ikpe et al. unpubl. data 2025).

Of the 30 tracked Tiger Sharks that used this movement corridor, four individuals (13% of total) used the entire movement corridor, and 11 individuals (37%) exhibited north-south movements that align with seasonal migrations within the corridor. A total of 25 individuals (83%) displayed partial use of the corridor, which includes the seasonal migrators (Holmes et al. 2014; Lipscombe et al. 2020; A Ikpe et al. unpubl. data 2025). Of the 25 sharks displaying partial corridor use, 12 moved within the southern section from the New South Wales/Queensland border to Wollongong, with some continuing moving further south, four Tiger Sharks moved within the central region of the area, linking southern temperate waters with subtropical waters in Queensland, and nine individuals moved within the northern region from the New South Wales/Queensland border to the Whitsundays, with some continuing north past the northern extent of the area. These partial movements connected all sections and biogeographic regions of the area. Of the 30 tagged Tiger Sharks that moved extensively within the area, more than half (n = 17) used offshore seamounts in the Tasmantid Range in several years of tracking (Holmes et al. 2014; Lipscombe et al. 2020; A Ikpe et al. unpubl. data 2025), supporting a wide corridor that extends into offshore waters.

Additionally, catch records show occurrence of Tiger Sharks from Cairns in Queensland, north of the area (Holmes et al. 2012), to Pambula Beach in New South Wales, south of the area (A Ikpe unpubl. data 2025), and public observations verify occurrences even further south off Tasmania. While the species disperses further along the east coast, the hotspot for predictable movements is between the Whitsundays and Wollongong, i.e., this area. Fisheries catch records substantiate utilisation of coastal waters, as drumlines and nets in the bather protection programme are set only 500–1,000 m from the shore (Holmes et al. 2012; Lipscombe et al. 2020), while recreational fishing records support the use of pelagic, offshore waters (A Ikpe pers. obs. 2022–2024).

The range of movement captured by tracking, diet, and catch records supports annual seasonal movement along the eastern Australian coastline and highlights the corridor as an important movement area utilised by the species to stay within its optimal thermal range, and to potentially follow important prey resources. The longitudinal extent, and wide breadth of this corridor is reflective of the species’ consistent utilisation of both coastal and pelagic waters.