Fish Behaviour and Catch Rates Before and After a Seismic Survey

Data from the Australian Ocean Data Network quantifies fish behaviour and commercial catch rates in relation to a 2-D seismic survey in the Gippsland Basin, Bass Strait, Australia in April 2015. The dataset combines field-based acoustic telemetry for three species (gummy shark, swell shark, tiger flathead) with a desktop analysis of Commonwealth fisheries logbook data for 15 species from January 2012 to October 2015. It provides empirical evidence on the potential impacts of seismic airgun operations on marine species.

Use Cases

• Modeling changes in catch rates for 15 fish species based on logbook data before and after a seismic event.
• Analyzing individual fish movement and speed changes from acoustic telemetry data during a controlled seismic operation.
• Comparing behavioural responses between an experimental zone and a control zone for tagged gummy sharks, swell sharks, and tiger flathead.

Strengths

• Combines two distinct data collection methods: field-based acoustic telemetry and a multi-year (Jan 2012 – Oct 2015) commercial fisheries logbook analysis.
• Provides specific, quantified results, such as 35% of gummy sharks and 30% of swell sharks being detected two days post-release.
• Examines a controlled event with clear before/during/after monitoring of a specific seismic survey in April 2015.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing from all platform entries, including column names, row counts, file size, license, and author information.
• The dataset's structure and specific variables for the telemetry and logbook analyses are not described.
• The last update date (2026-06-17) is inconsistent with the study's temporal coverage, ending in 2015, suggesting the metadata may not reflect data currency.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Field-based acoustic telemetry and analysis of Commonwealth fisheries logbook data.

Time Range

January 2012 to October 2015

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-17 00:31:49.245685 according to the most recent platform entry.

Geography

Gippsland Basin, Bass Strait, Australia