Abalone Fishing Block 28: High-Resolution Acoustic Seafloor Habitat Maps of Tasmania, 2021

The Australian Ocean Data Network provides high-resolution acoustic imagery mapping seafloor habitats off the east coast of Tasmania for 2021. This dataset for Fishing Block 28 includes 50cm resolution bathymetry, substrate type, derivatives, and water column data. It was created to map fine-scale abalone habitat impacted by urchins and to support strategic decision-making for urchin control and abalone management.

Use Cases

• Map the spatial distribution of key abalone habitat based on detailed substrate type and kelp coverage maps.
• Predict and analyze the extent of urchin barrens based on the acoustic water column technique described.
• Model seabed characteristics for ecological studies using bathymetry derivatives like slope, curvature, and rugosity.
• Assess vegetation likelihood in marine environments based on the water column data classification.

Strengths

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

Limitations

• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data freshness should be verified as the last update is listed as 2026-04-29.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data_gov_au.

Collection Method

Collected using multibeam acoustic imagery for mapping in waters less than 25 meters deep.

Time Range

2021

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-29 12:00:49.961480; freshness should be verified.

Geography

East coast of Tasmania, specifically Fishing Block 28.