Fish and Benthic Survey of Townsville-Lizard Great Barrier Reef 2003

Australian Ocean Data Network provides a marine survey of 11,687 individual fish, sharks, rays, and sea snakes from 253 species observed in the Great Barrier Reef. Data includes habitat classification, species identity with CAABCODES, time of arrival, behavior, maturity, and relative abundance (MaxN) metrics. The survey was conducted from September 5 to October 12, 2003, using 275 baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS).

Use Cases

• Train a species classifier using the 253 species labels and associated CAABCODES from the survey data.
• Analyze fish behavior patterns across the 8 defined categories, including feeding on bait, relative to time of arrival.
• Model relative abundance (MaxN) as a function of habitat classification variables like topography, sediments, and benthos.
• Study the maturity distribution (adult or juvenile) across different species and its correlation with observed behavior.

Strengths

• Substantial species count of 253 different fishes, sharks, rays, and sea snakes.
• Detailed behavioral data captured across 8 distinct categories for observed individuals.
• Survey conducted at a specific, well-defined location (Townsville-Lizard Great Barrier Reef) and time period (2003-09-05 to 2003-10-12).

Limitations

• Sample size of 11,687 individuals may be limited for training complex machine learning models on rare species.
• Data is temporally limited to a single cruise in 2003, lacking longitudinal or seasonal coverage.
• The primary analysis interface is a custom Microsoft Access tool, which may require specific software for direct use.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Observations from 275 baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS).

Time Range

2003-09-05 to 2003-10-12

Freshness

Data is from 2003, but the record was last updated in the catalog on 2026-03-21.

Geography

Townsville-Lizard region of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia.