NESP MB A10: Spotted and Red Handfish Monitoring and Conservation Data, 2016-2020

Monitoring and conservation data for Critically Endangered Spotted and Red Handfish in southern Tasmania from 2016 to 2020. The project used georeferenced photographic surveys, GPS tracking, and individual spot-pattern identification to support population analysis. Outputs include data on artificial spawning habitat placement, predator management, and mooring impacts to guide recovery planning.

Use Cases

• Estimate population density and movement based on georeferenced photographic survey and capture-mark-recapture data.
• Assess the effectiveness of conservation actions like ceramic artificial spawning habitat and eco-friendly moorings.
• Conduct population viability analysis using genetic and demographic data for both handfish species.
• Guide brood-stock collection decisions for captive breeding programs using monitoring data.

Strengths

• Project scope defined by the Handfish Recovery Plan and conducted from 2016 to 2020.
• Data collection method includes innovative georeferenced photographic surveys with GPS tracking.
• Includes direct conservation actions informed by monitoring, such as habitat replacement and mooring assessment.

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.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub project (IMAS, CSIRO), via Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Georeferenced photographic surveys, GPS tracking, individual spot-pattern identification, genetic studies, and capture-mark-recapture analysis.

Time Range

2016-2020

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 11:59:55.293758; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern Tasmania, specifically Derwent and D’Entrecasteaux estuaries.