BRUVS Fish and Benthic Survey of Southern Great Barrier Reef Shoals, 2007

From February 5 to 20, 2007, this dataset records observations from 15 baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS) deployed around shoals in the Southern Great Barrier Reef. It comprises 3408 individuals from 117 species of fishes, sharks, rays, and sea snakes, with 428 associated images. The data was collected and a custom analysis interface developed by staff at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS).

Use Cases

• Modeling species abundance and distribution based on MaxN (maximum number visible at one time) and habitat classification data.
• Analyzing fish behavior patterns based on the 8 recorded categories, including feeding on bait.
• Studying temporal dynamics of fish assemblages based on recorded time of arrival and time elapsed before MaxN.
• Classifying benthic habitat types based on recorded topography, sediments, and benthos observations.

Strengths

• Includes 3408 individual observations from 117 species, providing a substantial sample for analysis.
• Data is enriched with 428 images and links to a reference library of approximately 3500 best images from related projects.
• Records multiple ecological dimensions per observation, including species identity, behavior, maturity, abundance, and habitat.

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 period in one region.

Provenance

Source

Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Collected using 15 baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS).

Time Range

2007-02-05 to 2007-02-20

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-22 14:34:08.583149; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Shoals in the Southern Great Barrier Reef.