Australian Reef Cryptobenthic Fish Abundance from 50m Transects

Comprising records of cryptobenthic fish abundance collected by divers along standardized 50-meter transects on shallow rocky and coral reefs around Australia. Data is contributed by multiple organizations including Reef Life Survey and the Australian Temperate Reef Network. It supersedes a previous collection that stopped provision in June 2021.

Use Cases

• Analyze cryptobenthic fish abundance patterns across different reef types and geographic regions specified in the tags, such as the Coral Sea or Tasman Sea.
• Investigate changes in species abundance over time using the survey's standardized 50m transect and 'Block' methodology.
• Compare fish abundance data collected concurrently with macroinvertebrate observations as part of the 'Method 2' survey component.

Strengths

• Data is collected using standardized scientific methods along 50m transects, ensuring methodological consistency.
• Collates surveys from multiple contributing organizations, including government departments and research networks.
• Supersedes a previous collection, indicating ongoing maintenance and updates, with a last updated date in 2026.

Limitations

• Specific data structure details like row count, column names, and sample data are unavailable, limiting initial assessment.
• Available file formats (PDF, WMS, WFS, PNG, HTML) suggest the primary data may be accessed via web services or documents rather than a simple tabular download.
• The license is listed as 'notspecified', requiring users to investigate terms of use before application.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, collating data from Reef Life Survey, Australian Temperate Reef Network, and multiple Australian government departments.

Collection Method

Collected by divers using standard methods along 50m transects, searching 50 x 1 m swathes ('Blocks') on reef surfaces for hidden fishes.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-20.

Geography

Shallow reefs around Australia, with tags referencing specific regional seas like the Coral Sea, Tasman Sea, and Arafura Sea.