2023-2024 surveys of the vulnerable Black Rockcod fish across 91 broadscale and 37 key monitoring sites in New South Wales and Lord Howe Island. The dataset includes fish sightings with estimated and filmed length measurements, habitat, and depth, funded by the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project 3.14. It provides comparisons with historical survey data from 2009-2011 and 2019.
Use Cases
- Analyze population trends of Black Rockcod based on count comparisons from 2009-2024.
- Assess the impact of protection measures on fish size distribution based on diver-estimated and filmed length measurements.
- Model habitat preferences for a vulnerable species based on recorded habitat type and depth of sightings.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of long-term monitoring programs based on data from 37 key sites surveyed over multiple years.
Strengths
- Includes temporal comparisons with historical data from 2009-2011 and 2019 surveys.
- Covers 91 broadscale survey sites and 37 key monitoring sites across distinct marine parks.
- Data collection uses both diver visual estimates and stereo camera systems for length measurement.
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 the surveyed regions of NSW and Lord Howe Island.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Underwater Visual Census (UVC) technique by divers, with stereo camera filming for some length measurements.
- Time Range
- 2009-2024, with primary new data from 2023-2024.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-07-13 21:08:47.971238; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Northern New South Wales coast (Port Stephens to Cook Island) and Lord Howe Island, Australia.