38kHz Acoustic Data from 2002 Blue Grenadier Fishing Survey

Encompassing 38kHz Simrad ES60 acoustic data collected during commercial fishing for spawning blue grenadier off the Tasmanian west coast in 2002. The data was gathered by the factory freezer vessel FV Ocean Dawn as part of an FRDC project, with complementary data collected by two other vessels. GPS data is embedded within the ES60 .raw files.

Use Cases

• Analyze acoustic backscatter patterns from ES60 .raw files to study spawning blue grenadier aggregations.
• Correlate embedded GPS coordinates with fishing locations to map trawl shot activity from the 2002 season.
• Integrate this acoustic data with external AFMA observer biological data (species, length, weight) for ecosystem analysis.

Strengths

• Data originates from a structured FRDC project involving three factory freezer vessels.
• Includes GPS data embedded within the primary ES60 .raw acoustic files.
• Complementary biological and trawl log data exists via AFMA for potential integration.

Limitations

• Only ES60 history files are available; no cruise track or digitized echogram data is provided.
• The provided cruise dates are a subset of the full voyage, and the actual voyage start/end dates are unknown.
• Access to complementary AFMA observer and trawl log data requires separate contact and authorization.

Provenance

Source

CSIRO Marine Science Acoustic Group (Hobart), via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Acoustic data collected by Simrad ES60 echosounder during commercial fishing operations.

Time Range

2002 (specific cruise dates are a subset of the full voyage).

Freshness

Data is from the 2002 season, last metadata update was 2026-03-21.

Geography

Tasmanian west coast, Australia.