Shark Control Program catches by length and sex, Queensland
liveOne row per animal caught by the Queensland Shark Control Program's nets and drumlines from 1996, from the biological information the Department of Primary Industries publishes. Each row gives the year and month, area, beach, gear, marine park, species group, CAAB code, common and scientific names, whether the animal was alive or deceased, its fate and the reason, its length in metres and its sex.
The cells the publisher writes as NULL are null here.
Also called: Queensland Shark Control Program biological information, Size of sharks caught in Queensland shark nets.
Part of Queensland Shark Control Program catches, 3 tables the publisher releases together: Shark Control Program catch numbers, Queensland, Shark Control Program catches in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
- What is in each row?
- Each row is one animal caught by the Shark Control Program, with the year and month, area, beach, gear, marine park, species, whether it was alive or deceased, its fate, its length in metres and its sex.
- What do the sex codes mean?
- F is female, M is male and U is unknown. The publisher writes NULL where no sex was recorded, which is null here.
Made for agents
Connect your AI agent
Any agent that connects to publicdata.au/mcp can find this dataset, read its 16 fields, count and filter across all 26,391 rows and diff its versions. Every answer names the version and carries DPI's attribution. No key.
Then ask it: What does Shark Control Program catches by length and sex, Queensland hold, and what changed in the newest version?
claude mcp add --transport http publicdata https://publicdata.au/mcpOne command. No key, no account, no sign-up.
Settings, then Connectors, then Add custom connector, and paste https://publicdata.au/mcp.
On the web and in the desktop app.
https://publicdata.au/mcpStreamable HTTP. Cursor, VS Code or any client that connects to a remote MCP server.
Using https://publicdata.au/llms.txt, how many people died on Queensland roads in 2025, by month?For an assistant that reads the web and has no connector.
The dashboard above, live. Click to filter, add panels, share a link or embed a frame.
Query APIFilter and count from a URLaggregate?group=common_name&metric=count&species_group=eq.SHARK
Sharks caught by common name where species group is SHARK: 7,681 TIGER SHARK, 3,582 BULL WHALER, 2,095 LONG NOSE WHALER, 1,612 SPOT-TAIL WHALER.
Download it as Excel, CSV, JSON and 6 more formats
Pick a format and a version. Excel is picked first because it opens in the tools most offices have. The URL is yours to keep. A dated version never changes.
In your own tools
Use it in Excel, R, Python and more
Excel and Power BI read the CSV from its address and refresh from it. The R and Python packages take any dataset on this site by its slug, so a new dataset needs no new release. The DuckDB file attaches read-only over HTTPS, and a query reads only the blocks it touches.
The dated URL in the code never changes. https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-catch-lengths/latest/ redirects to the newest version.
https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-catch-lengths/latest/data.csvIn Excel choose Data, then From Web, and paste this address. Excel keeps it, so Refresh All reads the newest version. A sheet holds about a million rows; past that, load the query to the Data Model.
https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-catch-lengths/latest/data.csvIn Power BI Desktop choose Get data, then Web, paste this address and choose Anonymous when asked how to sign in. A scheduled refresh reads the same address, so the report follows each new version.
library(publicdataau)
df <- pd_read("qld-shark-control-catch-lengths")
pd_attribution(df)install.packages("publicdataau"). pd_read() fetches the version's Parquet file; pd_rows() and pd_aggregate() ask the query API instead, and pd_connect() attaches the DuckDB file.
import publicdata_au as pd_au
df = pd_au.read("qld-shark-control-catch-lengths")
df.attrs["publicdata"]["attribution"]pip install "publicdata-au[pandas]". read() fetches the version's Parquet file; rows() and aggregate() ask the query API, and connect() attaches the DuckDB file.
INSTALL httpfs; LOAD httpfs;
ATTACH 'https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-catch-lengths/v/2026-06-19/data.duckdb' AS qld_shark_control_catch_lengths (READ_ONLY);
SELECT area, count(*) FROM qld_shark_control_catch_lengths.records GROUP BY 1 ORDER BY 2 DESC;The DuckDB file attaches read-only over HTTPS and only the blocks a query touches are read. Parquet works the same way: FROM read_parquet(url).
const res = await fetch("https://publicdata.au/api/v1/datasets/qld-shark-control-catch-lengths/aggregate?group=common_name&metric=count&species_group=eq.SHARK");
const { rows, publicdata } = await res.json();
console.log(rows, publicdata.attribution);The query API answers a page on any site as well as Node, with no key. It returns the rows and the attribution the licence asks for.
What is in it
Column names are made snake_case and the publisher's original header is kept beside each one. Blank cells are null. Nothing is added, removed, ranked or summarised.
| Field | Type | Publisher's header | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| year | integer | Year | |
| month | integer | Month | |
| month_name | string | MonthName | |
| area | string | Area | |
| beach | string | BeachName | |
| gear | string | Gear | Drum (drumline), Net or Other. |
| marine_park | string | MarinePark | The marine park the gear lies in. Null outside a marine park. |
| species_group | string | SpeciesGroup | SHARK, TURTLE, MAMMAL or OTHER. |
| caab_code | string | CaabCode | Codes for Australian Aquatic Biota species code. |
| common_name | string | CommonName | |
| scientific_name | string | ScientificName | |
| alive_deceased | string | Alive/Deceased | |
| fate | string | Fate | What happened to an animal found alive, such as Released Alive or Euthanised. Null when no fate is recorded. |
| fate_reason | string | FateReason | The reason for the fate, such as Target Species or Safety. The publisher writes NA where it does not apply, kept as published. |
| length_m | number | Length(m) | Length in metres. A few values look like centimetres, such as 90 for a humpback whale and 84.5 for a loggerhead turtle. |
| sex | string | Sex | F female, M male, U unknown. |
Download this table as a data dictionary (Excel), or read it as a Frictionless Table Schema at schema.json.
A sample of 10 rows
From the latest version, newest first by year, each area in turn, then in the publisher's order, with every field. A blank cell is shown as null.
| year | month | month_name | area | beach | gear | marine_park | species_group | caab_code | common_name | scientific_name | alive_deceased | fate | fate_reason | length_m | sex |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 | May | Bundaberg | Kellys Beach | Drum | Great Sandy Marine Park (GSMP) | SHARK | 37019801 | UNKNOWN SHARK | null | Deceased | null | null | 1.76 | U |
| 2026 | 5 | May | Cairns | Ellis Beach | Drum | Commonwealth Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) | SHARK | 37018039 | COMMON BLACKTIP WHALER | Carcharhinus limbatus | Deceased | null | null | 1.6 | F |
| 2026 | 5 | May | Capricorn Coast | Emu Park | Drum | Commonwealth Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) | SHARK | 37018022 | TIGER SHARK | Galeocerdo cuvier | Alive | Released Alive | null | 1.03 | F |
| 2026 | 5 | May | Gold Coast | Kirra Beach | Net | null | OTHER | 37041000 | DEVILRAY * | Mobulidae - undifferentiated | Deceased | null | null | 0.85 | U |
| 2026 | 4 | April | Gladstone | Tannum Sands | Drum | null | SHARK | 37018013 | SPOT-TAIL WHALER | Carcharhinus sorrah | Deceased | null | null | 0.63 | M |
| 2026 | 4 | April | Mackay | Harbour Beach | Drum | null | SHARK | 37013010 | TAWNY SHARK | Nebrius ferrugineus | Alive | Released Alive | null | 2.18 | F |
| 2026 | 4 | April | Nth Stradbroke Is. | Ocean Beach | Drum | Moreton Bay Marine Park (MBMP) | SHARK | 37018007 | SANDBAR WHALER | Carcharhinus plumbeus | Alive | Released Alive | null | 2.34 | M |
| 2026 | 4 | April | Rainbow Beach | Rainbow Beach | Drum | Great Sandy Marine Park (GSMP) | SHARK | 37018003 | DUSKY WHALER | Carcharhinus obscurus | Deceased | null | null | 3.59 | U |
| 2026 | 4 | April | Sunshine Coast North | Glen Eden Beach | Drum | null | SHARK | 37018003 | DUSKY WHALER | Carcharhinus obscurus | Deceased | null | null | 2.91 | M |
| 2026 | 4 | April | Sunshine Coast South | Buddina Beach | Drum | null | SHARK | 37018003 | DUSKY WHALER | Carcharhinus obscurus | Deceased | null | null | 3.51 | F |
The first row as JSON
As it appears in data.json.
GET https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-catch-lengths/latest/data.json
{
"year": 2026,
"month": 5,
"month_name": "May",
"area": "Bundaberg",
"beach": "Kellys Beach",
"gear": "Drum",
"marine_park": "Great Sandy Marine Park (GSMP)",
"species_group": "SHARK",
"caab_code": "37019801",
"common_name": "UNKNOWN SHARK",
"scientific_name": null,
"alive_deceased": "Deceased",
"fate": null,
"fate_reason": null,
"length_m": 1.76,
"sex": "U"
}
Query it without downloading
The query API returns only the rows you ask for, as JSON, NDJSON or CSV, from the same typed rows as the files. It needs no key. Build a query here and run it, then copy the URL or the code into your own work.
How filters work
Each filter is field=operator.value in the query string, and every filter must match. A number or date field compares as a number or date, and a text field compares as text. Values are case-sensitive except with ilike. Prefix not. to negate a filter, as not.eq.value.
| Operator | What it matches |
|---|---|
| eq.value | Equal to the value. |
| neq.value | Not equal to the value. A blank cell does not match. |
| gt.value | Greater than the value. |
| gte.value | Greater than or equal to the value. |
| lt.value | Less than the value. |
| lte.value | Less than or equal to the value. |
| like.*text* | Matches a pattern where * stands for any run of characters. Case-sensitive. |
| ilike.*text* | The same as like, ignoring case. |
| in.(a,b,c) | Equal to any value in the list. A value cannot contain a comma. |
| is.null | Blank in the source, or suppressed by the publisher. |
| Parameter | What it does |
|---|---|
| select | Fields to return, comma-separated. Every field when absent. |
| order | field.asc or field.desc, comma-separated. The publisher's row order when absent. |
| limit | Rows per page, 1 to 10,000. 100 when absent. |
| offset | Rows to skip. The next URL in each answer sets it for you. |
| group | On aggregate, fields to group by, comma-separated. |
| metric | On aggregate, count, sum.field, avg.field, min.field or max.field, comma-separated. count when absent. |
| format | json, ndjson or csv. JSON carries the provenance header, and the others carry it in response headers. |
Without a version the API answers from the newest loaded version, and that answer changes when the publisher releases again. Put versions/<date>/ before rows or aggregate for an answer that never changes. /api/v1/datasets/<slug>/versions lists the loaded versions. The 1 newest version is loaded; versions lists them.
The API allows 60 requests in 10 seconds from one address. Above that it answers 429 for 10 seconds with a Retry-After header, a RateLimit-Policy header and a JSON body that gives the limit. Every API answer carries the same RateLimit-Policy. A client should wait the Retry-After seconds, or read the files, which have no limit. openapi.json describes this dataset's query paths for client generators and agents.
https://publicdata.au/mcp is a remote MCP server over Streamable HTTP with the same tools, defined in the same place, so a tool added to the pages is added here too. It needs no key and no account. The row tools are held to the query API's limit of 60 queries in 10 seconds from one address, and each call is two queries because it also counts the matching rows. Add it to Claude Code with claude mcp add --transport http publicdata https://publicdata.au/mcp, add the URL in Claude as a custom connector, or give it to any client that connects to remote MCP servers. Each queryable dataset is also a resource at https://publicdata.au/d/<slug>/fields.json, which lists its fields with their types, the publisher's descriptions, their ranges and the values they hold, so an agent can read a dataset's shape before it writes a query.
By area
One page for each area, with its own count, chart and files. The rows are the same rows as this table.
- Bribie Island115
- Bundaberg1,993
- Cairns2,632
- Capricorn Coast3,311
- Gladstone1,602
- Gold Coast2,781
- Mackay3,973
- Nth Stradbroke Is.701
- Rainbow Beach1,691
- Sunshine Coast North2,239
- Sunshine Coast South926
- Townsville4,427
What changed
One version for every release the publisher has made since this site started following the dataset. The date is the day the file changed on the portal.
- 2026-06-19 26,391 rows16 fieldsxlsx1809019d4b22
versions.json · changes.json · history.tar.zst (123 KB, every version's Parquet and manifest)
Questions
How do I download Shark Control Program catches by length and sex as a CSV file?
Open https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-catch-lengths/latest/data.csv. It redirects to the newest dated version, which is https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-catch-lengths/v/2026-06-19/data.csv today. The same path serves Excel, JSON, Parquet, SQLite, DuckDB, NDJSON, Arrow. A dated URL never changes, so use it when the file must stay the same.
Can I open Shark Control Program catches by length and sex in Excel?
Yes. https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-catch-lengths/v/2026-06-19/data.xlsx is a workbook with the 26,391 rows on a records sheet, the field list on a second sheet and the provenance on a third. The CSV also opens in Excel. https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-catch-lengths/v/2026-06-19/data.csv.gz is the CSV at about a tenth of the size.
What years does Shark Control Program catches by length and sex cover?
The current version covers 1996 to 2025. Each release from DPI becomes a new dated version here, and earlier versions stay online.
How often is Shark Control Program catches by length and sex updated?
DPI releases it irregularly, about twice a year. This site checks the portal every week and adds a dated version when the file changes.
Can I use Shark Control Program catches by length and sex commercially?
Yes. CC BY 4.0 allows commercial use, redistribution and derived works as long as the attribution is kept. The attribution string is in this page's side column and inside every file.
Is this the official source for Shark Control Program catches by length and sex?
No. The publisher is Department of Primary Industries, and its page is https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/fisheries-queensland-s-shark-control-program-information-and-data. This site republishes the publisher's file without changing its content. The original sits beside every version as source.xlsx with its SHA-256, so the two can be compared.
How do I get only the rows for one area?
Every version has one JSON file per value of area, 12 files in the current version, listed with row counts at https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-catch-lengths/v/2026-06-19/by/area/index.json. For example https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-catch-lengths/v/2026-06-19/by/area/townsville.json holds the 4,427 rows where area is Townsville.
What this site did to the data. Cells were typed, headers were renamed and the encoding was made UTF-8. Rows were left alone. The publisher's file sits beside every version as source.xlsx so the change can be checked.
Queensland Shark Control Program catches is 3 tables here, and each takes its version date from its own file.