Abalone Fishing Block 27: High-Resolution Acoustic Seafloor Habitat Maps, 2021

The Australian Ocean Data Network provides high-resolution acoustic mapping data for seafloor habitats in Tasmanian fishing block 27. This dataset includes 50cm resolution bathymetry, substrate classification, and kelp coverage maps, capturing a snapshot of the 2021 distribution. It was created to map fine-scale habitat impacted by urchins and to support strategic decision-making for urchin control and abalone management.

Use Cases

• Classifying seafloor substrate types based on the Seamap Australia classification scheme mentioned in the description.
• Mapping kelp and vegetation distribution using the provided vegetation likelihood classification data.
• Identifying and predicting urchin barrens based on the acoustic water column technique described.
• Analyzing seabed morphology using the bathymetry derivatives such as slope, curvature, and rugosity.

Strengths

• Provides 50cm resolution bathymetry and substrate data, indicating a high level of spatial detail.
• Includes multiple derived data products such as seabed slope, curvature, and rugosity.
• Captures a specific temporal snapshot of habitat distribution for the year 2021.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to data_gov_au, focusing only on the east coast of Tasmania.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Collected using multibeam acoustic imagery and water column acoustic techniques.

Time Range

2021

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-23 05:21:42.551405; freshness should be verified.

Geography

East coast of Tasmania, specifically fishing block 27.