Australian Reef Fish Abundance and Biomass from Standardized 50m Transects

Records of bony fishes and elasmobranchs collected by Reef Life Survey and Australian Temperate Reef Collaboration divers along 50m transects on shallow rocky and coral reefs. It includes abundance information for all species recorded within quantitative survey limits, with size and biomass data when available. The data is collated from multiple contributors including state agencies and research partners.

Use Cases

• Analyze species abundance patterns across different reef blocks to assess biodiversity.
• Model fish biomass using available size data to estimate population health and resource availability.
• Track changes in elasmobranch populations over time using standardized transect survey records.

Strengths

• Data is collected using standardized 50m transect methods, ensuring methodological consistency.
• Collates surveys from multiple contributors including Reef Life Survey, Parks Australia, and several state government departments.
• Includes both abundance and biomass data for species when available, providing multiple ecological metrics.

Limitations

• Specific row count, column details, and sample data are unavailable, limiting initial assessment of data volume and structure.
• Data is provided in non-tabular formats like PDF and WMS, which may require significant processing for quantitative analysis.
• The geographic scope is implied but not explicitly defined, potentially limiting spatial analysis precision.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, collating data from Reef Life Survey, Australian Temperate Reef Collaboration, and multiple state agencies.

Collection Method

Collected by divers using standard methods along 50m transects on shallow reefs, with observations within 50 x 5 m swathes (Blocks).

Freshness

Last updated in March 2026.

Geography

Surveys conducted around Australia, with tags referencing global oceans and regional seas including the Coral Sea, Tasman Sea, and Indian Ocean.