Seismic Survey Impacts On Marine Fish And Invertebrates

A 2026 study by the Australian Ocean Data Network investigates the potential impacts of marine seismic surveys on marine fauna. The project comprises six components: sound modelling, sound monitoring, benthic community assessment, bivalve assessment, fish avoidance behavior tracking, and fisheries catch data analysis. It was developed in response to stakeholder concerns about a seismic survey in the Gippsland Basin.

Use Cases

• Analyze fish avoidance behavior data from acoustic tagging to model displacement effects of seismic noise.
• Correlate fisheries catch data with seismic survey timelines to assess potential impacts on commercial species.
• Use sound monitoring data from moored hydrophones to characterize acoustic exposure levels for marine organisms.
• Evaluate benthic community assessment data from AUV surveys for changes in invertebrate populations post-survey.
• Integrate sound modelling outputs with bivalve assessment data from dredging to predict physiological impacts.

Strengths

• Study design incorporates six distinct methodological components for a multi-faceted impact assessment.
• Data collection includes both field monitoring (hydrophones, AUV) and laboratory/experimental components.
• Project addresses a specific, high-concern event: an April seismic survey in the Gippsland Basin.

Limitations

• Specific sample sizes, row counts, and data volumes for each component are not provided.
• Data is presented in non-tabular formats (MP4, HTML), limiting direct machine-readability for analysis.
• The description is a presentation summary, suggesting the underlying raw datasets may not be directly accessible.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Combined methods including sound modelling, moored hydrophone monitoring, AUV benthic surveys, dredging for bivalves, acoustic tagging of fish, and analysis of fisheries catch data.

Time Range

Centered around an April seismic survey in the Gippsland Basin; specific start/end dates not provided.

Freshness

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Geography

Gippsland Basin, Australia.