Fish and Benthic Survey of Townsville Midshelf Reefs from 2000

From April 8-10, 2000, this dataset comprises 624 individuals from 67 species of fishes, sharks, rays, and sea snakes observed at Townsville Midshelf Reefs using 18 baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS). It was aggregated by the Australian Ocean Data Network and includes approximately 3500 reference images.

Use Cases

• Modeling species abundance and distribution based on MaxN relative abundance metrics.
• Classifying fish behavior based on the 8 recorded categories, including feeding.
• Analyzing habitat associations based on recorded topography, sediments, and benthos classifications.
• Studying temporal patterns of fish arrival and activity based on recorded time of arrival and elapsed times.

Strengths

• Includes 624 observed individuals from 67 distinct species.
• Data collection is supported by a reference library of approximately 3500 best images.
• Records multiple behavioral and ecological variables, including maturity, behavior categories, 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.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to a single survey in 2000.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Observations from 18 baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS).

Time Range

2000-04-08 to 2000-04-10

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-23 05:16:50.468222; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Townsville Midshelf Reefs, Australia