Fish Behavior and Catch Rates Before and After a 2015 Marine Seismic Survey in Bass Strait

A study quantifying fish behavior and commercial catch rates in relation to a 2-D seismic survey in the Gippsland Basin, Bass Strait, Australia in April 2015. Three species (gummy shark, swell shark, tiger flathead) were acoustically tagged and monitored, and Commonwealth fisheries logbook data from January 2012 to October 2015 for 15 species and two gear types were analyzed. The research, published in Marine Environmental Research in 2018, found limited evidence for seismic survey-induced changes in the targeted species.

Use Cases

• Modeling changes in fish catch rates based on logbook data before and after a seismic event.
• Analyzing movement patterns and swimming speed changes in acoustically tagged fish in response to seismic operations.
• Comparing behavioral responses between an experimental zone and a control zone to isolate the impact of seismic surveys.

Strengths

• Combines field-based acoustic telemetry data with a multi-year (2012-2015) commercial fisheries logbook analysis.
• Examines 15 different fish species and two commercial gear types (Danish seine, gillnet).
• Provides specific detection rates for tagged sharks, such as 35% for gummy sharks and 30% for swell sharks two days post-release.

Limitations

• Behavioral data were limited as many sharks left the acoustic receiver array prior to the seismic survey.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Field-based acoustic tagging and monitoring combined with desktop analysis of Commonwealth fisheries logbook data.

Time Range

Acoustic monitoring in April 2015; logbook data from January 2012 to October 2015.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 02:18:48.214584; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Gippsland Basin, Bass Strait, Australia.