Oceanic Shoals Marine Reserve Pelagic Fish Abundance from 2012 Baited Camera Surveys

116 sampling sites were surveyed within the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve in the Timor Sea during September and October 2012. The dataset contains species lists and relative abundance data (MaxN) for pelagic fish, collected using stereo baited remote underwater video systems (stereo-BRUVS). This survey was a key component of the Australian Government's National Environmental Research Program Marine Biodiversity Hub, involving partners like the Australian Institute of Marine Science and Geoscience Australia.

Use Cases

• Modeling pelagic fish species distribution based on survey locations across three focal areas.
• Analyzing relative abundance (MaxN) patterns for different fish species within a marine reserve.
• Correlating fish observations with concurrent oceanographic measurements like CTD data mentioned in the description.
• Assessing biodiversity for marine bioregional planning as part of the described research theme.

Strengths

• Data covers 116 distinct sampling sites, providing spatial breadth.
• Survey was conducted as part of a structured government research program with multiple institutional partners.
• Data collection included multiple complementary methods like multibeam sonar and towed video, as described.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is from a specific campaign in 2012; temporal coverage is limited.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, derived from a survey by the National Environmental Research Program Marine Biodiversity Hub.

Collection Method

Deployments of pelagic baited camera systems (stereo-BRUVS) onboard the RV Solander.

Time Range

September and October 2012

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 17:02:32.029017; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve in the Timor Sea