Bass Strait Fisheries Catch Analysis for Seismic Survey Impact

A desktop study by the Australian Ocean Data Network investigates potential links between marine seismic operations and commercial fish catch rates in the Bass Strait and Gippsland Basin. The analysis employs three novel generalized linear models to examine catch-per-unit-effort data for species like gummy shark and tiger flathead. The study, last updated in April 2026, found no clear statistical relationship between seismic surveys and subsequent catch rates.

Use Cases

• Modeling catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) for gummy shark against environmental variables and seismic survey proximity.
• Assessing spatial and temporal effects of seismic surveys on tiger flathead catch rates using nearest-neighbor modeling.
• Evaluating cumulative impacts of multiple seismic surveys on school whiting and silver warehou commercial catches.
• Comparing mean catch rates before and after seismic survey events for key commercial species.

Strengths

• Analysis includes multiple commercial fish species: gummy shark, tiger flathead, school whiting, and silver warehou.
• Employs three distinct statistical methods to model potential relationships between seismic activity and catch rates.

Limitations

• Data granularity is limited, as the study notes commercial logbook data is compared to relatively gross-scale seismic data.
• The study could not distinguish potential seismic effects from confounding interannual stock size changes.
• No clear or consistent relationship was identified, limiting predictive utility.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Desktop study using fisheries catch and effort data from commercial logbooks compared to seismic survey data.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated in April 2026.

Geography

Bass Strait and Gippsland Basin, Australia