Acoustic Tracking of Reef Fish and Sharks on Townsville Reefs, 2011-2014

From August 2011 to December 2014, an array of 48 acoustic receivers on 17 reefs offshore from Townsville, Queensland, tracked 14 species of reef fish and sharks. The dataset, managed by the Australian Ocean Data Network, includes descriptions of the array, tagged individuals, and detection events. Detection range was approximately 400-900 meters per receiver, and transmitters emitted signals every 2 minutes.

Use Cases

• Modeling movement patterns of reef-associated species based on acoustic detection data.
• Analyzing species-specific residency and site fidelity based on individual tagging records.
• Assessing the spatial coverage and detection efficiency of the acoustic receiver array.
• Studying the interaction between different marine protection zones and animal movement.

Strengths

• Array of 48 acoustic receivers deployed across 17 reefs, providing spatial coverage.
• Tracking data spans over 3 years, from August 2011 to December 2014.
• Includes 14 species of reef fish and sharks, with transmitters equipped with depth sensors.
• Methodology details are provided, including transmitter battery life (12-27 months) and signal interval (every 2 minutes).

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Raw data may include false detections, requiring careful validation prior to analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Acoustic telemetry using an array of 48 Vemco VR2W receivers; individuals were captured, measured, tagged, and released.

Time Range

August 2011 to December 2014

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-10 18:46:30.171430; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Reefs offshore from Townsville, Queensland, within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park