Each row is one animal caught by Shark Control Program gear inside the Great Barrier Reef marine parks, with the date, area, beach, marine park, species, fate and the reason for the fate.

Which period does it cover?

The publisher adds one file per financial year. This entry follows the newest, which covered July 2025 to April 2026 at the time of review. Earlier years are on the same portal page.

Datasets / Queensland / DPI / Queensland Shark Control Program catches

Shark Control Program catches in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Name: Shark Control Program catches in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Creator: Department of Primary Industries
Published: 2026-05-26
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

live

Publisher Department of Primary IndustriesUpdated irregularly, several times a yearLicence CC BY 4.0Latest 2026-05-26Rows 1,705Fields 8

One row per animal caught by the Queensland Shark Control Program inside the Commonwealth Great Barrier Reef Marine Park or the Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park. Each row gives the date of capture, the area and beach, the marine park, the common and scientific names, the fate and the reason for it.

The publisher adds a new file for each financial year and extends the current one as the year goes on. This entry follows the newest.

Also called: Queensland Shark Control Program catch statistics for Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Great Barrier Reef drumline catches.

Part of Queensland Shark Control Program catches, 3 tables the publisher releases together: Shark Control Program catches by length and sex, Queensland, Shark Control Program catch numbers, Queensland.

Before you use it

What is in each row?: Each row is one animal caught by Shark Control Program gear inside the Great Barrier Reef marine parks, with the date, area, beach, marine park, species, fate and the reason for the fate.
Which period does it cover?: The publisher adds one file per financial year. This entry follows the newest, which covered July 2025 to April 2026 at the time of review. Earlier years are on the same portal page.

Made for agents

Connect your AI agent

Any agent that connects to publicdata.au/mcp can find this dataset, read its 8 fields, count and filter across all 1,705 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 in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park hold, and what changed in the newest version?

claude mcp add --transport http publicdata https://publicdata.au/mcp

One command. No key, no account, no sign-up.

https://publicdata.au/mcp

Streamable 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.

ExploreChart every row in your browser

A dashboard over every row. Click to filter, add panels, share a link or embed a frame.

Query APIFilter and count from a URL

aggregate?group=common_name&metric=count

Animals caught by common name: 413 SPOT-TAIL WHALER, 242 BULL WHALER, 206 LONG NOSE WHALER, 193 TIGER SHARK.

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.

Format

Version "Latest" redirects to the newest version and will change when the publisher releases again. A dated version never changes.

https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-gbr-catches/latest/data.xlsx

Download

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-gbr-catches/latest/ redirects to the newest version.

https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-gbr-catches/latest/data.csv

In 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-gbr-catches/latest/data.csv

In 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-gbr-catches")
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-gbr-catches")
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-gbr-catches/v/2026-05-26/data.duckdb' AS qld_shark_control_gbr_catches (READ_ONLY);
SELECT date, count(*) FROM qld_shark_control_gbr_catches.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-gbr-catches/aggregate?group=common_name&metric=count");
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
date	date	Date
area	string	Area
location	string	Location
marine_park	string	Marine Park
common_name	string	Common Name
scientific_name	string	Scientific Name
fate	string	Fate	Deceased, Released Alive or Euthanised.
fate_reason	string	Fate Reason	The publisher's reason for the fate. Often blank.

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 date, then in the publisher's order, with every field. A blank cell is shown as null.

date	area	location	marine_park	common_name	scientific_name	fate	fate_reason
2026-04-30	Cairns	Trinity	Commonwealth Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP)	TIGER SHARK	Galeocerdo cuvier	Released Alive	null
2026-04-30	Mackay	Eimeo Beach	Commonwealth Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP)	CREEK WHALER	Carcharhinus fitzroyensis	Deceased	null
2026-04-30	Townsville	Horseshoe Bay	Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park (GBRCMP)	PIGEYE WHALER	Carcharhinus amboinensis	Released Alive	null
2026-04-30	Townsville	Horseshoe Bay	Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park (GBRCMP)	TAWNY SHARK	Nebrius ferrugineus	Released Alive	null
2026-04-29	Cairns	Ellis Beach	Commonwealth Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP)	PIGEYE WHALER	Carcharhinus amboinensis	Deceased	null
2026-04-29	Townsville	Picnic Bay	Commonwealth Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP)	COMMON BLACKTIP WHA	Carcharhinus limbatus	Deceased	null
2026-04-29	Townsville	Radical Bay	Commonwealth Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP)	MILK SHARK	Rhizoprionodon acutus	Deceased	null
2026-04-28	Cairns	Ellis Beach	Commonwealth Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP)	COMMON BLACKTIP WHALER	Carcharhinus limbatus	Released Alive	null
2026-04-28	Cairns	Buchans	Commonwealth Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP)	COMMON BLACKTIP WHALER	Carcharhinus limbatus	Deceased	null
2026-04-28	Cairns	Palm Cove	Commonwealth Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP)	GREAT HAMMERHEAD	Sphyrna mokarran	Released Alive	null

The first row as JSON

As it appears in data.json.

GET https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-gbr-catches/latest/data.json
{
  "date": "2025-07-01",
  "area": "Townsville",
  "location": "Horseshoe Bay",
  "marine_park": "Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park (GBRCMP)",
  "common_name": "BULL WHALER",
  "scientific_name": "Carcharhinus leucas",
  "fate": "Deceased",
  "fate_reason": null
}

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.

Try rows or aggregate for this dataset. The query builder needs JavaScript.

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.

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.

2026-05-26
1,705 rows8 fieldsutf-8-sig20679e911133

versions.json · changes.json · history.tar.zst (12 KB, every version's Parquet and manifest)

Questions

How do I download Shark Control Program catches in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park as a CSV file?

Open https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-gbr-catches/latest/data.csv. It redirects to the newest dated version, which is https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-gbr-catches/v/2026-05-26/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 in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Excel?

Yes. https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-gbr-catches/v/2026-05-26/data.xlsx is a workbook with the 1,705 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-gbr-catches/v/2026-05-26/data.csv.gz is the CSV at about a tenth of the size.

How often is Shark Control Program catches in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park updated?

DPI releases it irregularly, several times 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 in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park 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 in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park?

No. The publisher is Department of Primary Industries, and its page is https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/qld-shark-control-program-catch-statistics-great-barrier-reef-marine-park. This site republishes the publisher's file without changing its content. The original sits beside every version as source.csv with its SHA-256, so the two can be compared.

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.csv 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.

Attribution and citation

The licence requires the publisher's attribution. We ask that you also name publicdata.au and link to the version you used.

Department of Primary Industries, Queensland Government, Queensland Shark Control Program catch statistics for Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, sourced 3 October 2026, https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/qld-shark-control-program-catch-statistics-great-barrier-reef-marine-park, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Serialised and versioned by National Digital at publicdata.au, https://publicdata.au/d/qld-shark-control-gbr-catches/v/2026-05-26/

The attribution alone is inside every file. Harvard is the author-date form a report or a brief asks for. Paste the HTML on a web page so the links carry.

Licence record

Department of Primary Industries states the licence, CC BY 4.0, on its own page, which was read and recorded here on 1 October 2026.

Every fetch reads the licence again and stops when it has changed. The fetch that made version 2026-05-26 read it from www.data.qld.gov.au on 3 October 2026.

Also published on

Hugging Faceload_dataset("National-Digital/qld-shark-control-gbr-catches")
Kagglewith a starter notebook
ZenodoDOI 10.5281/zenodo.23122981

Each copy carries the same attribution and links back to this page.

For agents and tools

datapackage.jsonFrictionless data package pointing at the latest version
schema.jsonTable Schema for every field
schema.xlsxthe same field list as an Excel data dictionary
versions.jsonevery version with date, rows, fields and hash
changes.jsondiff for every consecutive pair
manifest.jsonwhere the bytes came from and when
Query APIfiltered rows and counts without a download
openapi.jsonOpenAPI 3.1 for this dataset's query paths
explore/charts and dashboards in the browser, shareable and embeddable
index.mdthis page as Markdown

This page carries a schema.org Dataset record and is listed in /.well-known/ard.json and /catalog.json.

Source

Department of Primary Industries publishes this table on www.data.qld.gov.au. Questions about the content go to the publisher. Questions about the files here go to corrections.

Fetched 3 October 2026. Source SHA-256 20679e9111333358…

Improve this dataset

This page is built from register/qld-shark-control-gbr-catches.yaml on GitHub. Anyone can propose a fix to it, such as a clearer description or a field the publisher renamed, as a pull request.

Report a file that differs from the publisher's · How to contribute