BRUVS 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 (BRUVS) around Inshore Shoals near Townsville from October 28 to 30, 2006. The dataset includes 338 images and records habitat classification, species identity with CAAB codes, arrival times, behavior, maturity, and relative abundance metrics like MaxN. It was collected and managed by AIMS staff using a custom Microsoft Access interface and is hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Modeling fish abundance and species richness based on habitat topography and sediment data.
• Analyzing temporal patterns of fish arrival and feeding behavior from recorded time-of-arrival data.
• Classifying benthic habitats using the described imagery and habitat classification data.
• Studying population demographics by comparing adult and juvenile maturity classifications.

Strengths

• Includes 1260 individual observations across 87 species, providing a substantial sample for analysis.
• Captures 338 images and approximately 3500 reference images for visual verification and habitat study.
• Records detailed behavioral data across 8 categories, including feeding events and time-elapsed metrics.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to a single, short survey in Townsville.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Baited Remote Underwater Video Stations (BRUVS)

Time Range

2006-10-28 to 2006-10-30

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 05:40:04.744278; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Inshore Shoals, Townsville, Australia