Fish and Benthic Survey of Inshore Shoals Townsville 2006

1260 individual fish, sharks, rays, and sea snakes from 87 species were observed using 21 baited remote underwater video stations near Townsville from October 28-30, 2006. The dataset includes 338 images and records habitat classification, species identity with CAABCODES, arrival times, and behavioral data. Observations include maturity status and relative abundance metrics like MaxN.

Use Cases

• Analyze species composition and relative abundance (MaxN) across 87 observed fish, shark, ray, and sea snake species.
• Model the relationship between habitat classification (topography, sediments, benthos) and fish arrival time or behavior.
• Investigate feeding behavior patterns across the 8 defined behavior categories, segmented by species or maturity (adult/juvenile).
• Use CAABCODES and species identity data to link observations with broader taxonomic databases.

Strengths

• Contains 1260 individual observations from a focused 3-day survey period.
• Documents 87 distinct species and includes 338 supporting underwater images.
• Records multiple analytical variables per observation, including behavior (8 categories), maturity, and MaxN abundance metric.

Limitations

• Limited temporal coverage to only 3 days in 2006, preventing longitudinal analysis.
• Sample size of 1260 individuals may be insufficient for robust statistical modeling of rare species.
• Data entry and analysis relied on a custom Microsoft Access interface, which may pose compatibility challenges.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Collected via 21 baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS).

Time Range

2006-10-28 to 2006-10-30

Freshness

Data is from 2006, though metadata was last updated in 2026.

Geography

Inshore Shoals, Townsville, Australia