Fish Behaviour and Catch Rates Before and After a Seismic Survey

Australian Ocean Data Network hosts a dataset quantifying 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 study combines field-based acoustic telemetry data for three species (gummy shark, swell shark, tiger flathead) with a desktop analysis of Commonwealth fisheries logbook data from January 2012 to October 2015 for fifteen species. Results show mixed impacts, with some species exhibiting changes in movement or catch rates following the seismic operations.

Use Cases

• Modeling changes in fish catch rates based on logbook data for 15 species before and after a seismic event.
• Analyzing individual fish movement patterns from acoustic telemetry data to detect behavioural responses to airgun operations.
• Comparing experimental and control zone data to isolate the impact of seismic surveys from other environmental factors.
• Assessing species-specific vulnerability to seismic surveys by examining differential responses in swimming speed and diel patterns.

Strengths

• Combines two distinct data sources: high-resolution acoustic telemetry for individual fish and long-term commercial catch data from 2012-2015.
• Study design includes both an experimental zone and a control zone, allowing for more robust impact attribution.
• Analysis covers a specific, well-documented seismic event in April 2015, providing a clear temporal focus.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing: column names, row counts, file size, license, and author information are not provided.
• The dataset's freshness is unclear; the last update date (2026-06-05) is a future date, suggesting potential metadata errors.
• The primary data format listed is HTML, which suggests the dataset may be a documentation page rather than a structured data file.

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, with focused seismic survey in April 2015.

Freshness

Last updated date is listed as 2026-06-05, which is a future date and may be an error.

Geography

Gippsland Basin, Bass Strait, Australia.