Southern Great Barrier Reef Fish and Benthic Survey with 33,000 Individual Observations

From January 8 to February 15, 2009, 33,013 individuals from 343 species of fishes, sharks, rays, and sea snakes were observed in the Southern Great Barrier Reef using 373 baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS). The dataset, aggregated by the Australian Ocean Data Network, includes 4,154 images and records habitat classification, species identity, arrival times, behavior, maturity, and relative abundance.

Use Cases

• Modeling species distribution and abundance based on MaxN relative abundance metrics.
• Analyzing fish behavior patterns based on the eight recorded categories, including feeding.
• Classifying benthic habitat types based on recorded topography, sediments, and benthos.
• Training image recognition models for fish species using the associated reference library of approximately 3,500 best images.

Strengths

• Contains 33,013 individual observations from 343 species, providing a substantial sample.
• Includes 4,154 images and a reference library of approximately 3,500 curated images.
• Records multiple behavioral and ecological variables, including arrival time, maturity, and habitat classification.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last updated 2026-03-22 09:45:51.027438; freshness should be verified.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS) survey.

Time Range

2009-01-08 to 2009-02-15

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-22 09:45:51.027438.

Geography

Southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia