Black Rockcod Underwater Visual Census Data from NSW and Lord Howe Island 2023-24

NESP Marine and Coastal Hub project 3.14 collected data on the vulnerable Black Rockcod (Epinephelus daemelii) via diver Underwater Visual Census (UVC). The dataset includes 91 broadscale survey sites from 2023 and 37 key monitoring sites surveyed in 2023 and 2024, with comparisons to historical data from 2009-11. For each sighting, divers recorded estimated fish length, habitat type, cryptic behavior, and depth, with some exact measurements from stereo cameras.

Use Cases

• Assessing population trends of a vulnerable species based on repeated surveys from 2009-2024.
• Evaluating the impact of fishing protections and incidental catch mortality based on survey data from protected and unprotected sites.
• Modeling habitat preferences and distribution based on recorded habitat type and depth for each sighting.
• Comparing diver-estimated fish lengths with exact stereo-camera measurements to validate survey methodology.

Strengths

• Includes a direct comparison of counts from 83 sites surveyed in 2009-11 and 91 sites surveyed in 2023.
• Provides longitudinal data from 37 key monitoring sites surveyed across multiple years, including 2023 and 2024.
• Records multiple attributes per sighting, including estimated length, exact length (where filmed), habitat, cryptic status, and depth.

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 on specific marine parks in NSW and Lord Howe Island.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Underwater Visual Census (UVC) by divers, with stereo camera systems used for some exact length measurements.

Time Range

Primary data from 2023-2024, with comparative historical data from 2009-2011 and 2019.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 20:18:20.855499; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern New South Wales coast (Port Stephens to Cook Island) and Lord Howe Island, Australia.