Marine Seismic Survey Impacts on Fish and Invertebrates in Gippsland Basin

A final report from the Gippsland Marine Environmental Monitoring project details the impacts of seismic operations on marine organisms. The study comprises six components including theoretical sound modelling, field-based sound monitoring, scallop assessments using AUV and dredging, fish avoidance behavior via acoustic tagging, and fisheries catch data analysis. The report was produced by the Australian Ocean Data Network and was last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling sound propagation and field-based sound levels from seismic surveys to assess acoustic exposure.
• Assessing scallop population density and health before and after seismic events using AUV imagery and dredge samples.
• Analyzing fish avoidance behavior patterns via acoustic tagging and monitoring data.
• Evaluating changes in commercial fisheries catch rates potentially linked to seismic operations.
• Establishing a pre-seismic baseline for marine organisms in the Gippsland Basin using multiple data streams.

Strengths

• Study design incorporates six distinct methodological components for a multi-faceted impact assessment.
• Includes data from a specific, documented seismic survey event (GA352 in April 2015).

Limitations

• Data is presented as a compiled report; underlying raw datasets and column structures are unavailable.
• Geographic scope is limited to the Gippsland Basin, Australia, limiting generalizability.
• Temporal coverage is focused on a specific 2015 event and subsequent monitoring period.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Field monitoring, acoustic tagging, AUV surveys, dredging, sound modelling, and fisheries catch analysis.

Time Range

Centered on a seismic survey in April 2015 and subsequent monitoring.

Freshness

Report metadata was last updated in April 2026.

Geography

Gippsland Basin, Australia.