Correction to: Scientific Reportshttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-20543-3, published online 17 October 2025 The original version of this Article contained an error in the spelling of the author Mochamad Iqbal Herwata Putra which was incorrectly given as Mochamad Iqba Herwata Putra. In addition, in Figure 1B, the percentage of dead whale sharks was incorrect. The original Figure 1 and accompanying legend appear below. (Figure presented.) The number and distribution of whale shark stranding cases by province (A), condition (B), category (C), outcome of handling response (D), size class distribution (x-axis denotes total length TL in meters, with 3 size classes indicated of small juvenile (< 3 m), large juvenile (3–9 m), and adult (> 9 m); UNK: Unknown (E), success rate (summarized by province) of attempted stranding rescues of alive-stranded whale sharks (F), and annual trends (G). The original Article has been corrected. © The Author(s) 2026.