Kelp Bed Extent Survey in Mercury Passage, Tasmania, 1965

An unpublished 1965 interim report details a survey of Macrocystis pyrifera kelp beds near Mercury Passage, Tasmania. The research was a joint program between Alginates (Australia) P/L and CSIRO Division of Fisheries and Oceanography, initiated to investigate the relationship between kelp harvesting and crayfish larvae stocks. An aerial survey was likely used to determine stock distributions.

Use Cases

• Assess historical kelp bed distribution based on the 1965 aerial survey.
• Model the impact of historical harvesting on crayfish stocks based on the study's stated purpose.
• Establish a baseline for long-term marine ecosystem change in the Mercury Passage region.

Strengths

• Data originates from a joint research program between an industry partner and a national research organization (CSIRO).
• The survey provides a specific historical snapshot from 1965.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The report is described as an unpublished interim document, which may indicate incomplete findings.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Likely derived from an aerial survey, according to the description.

Time Range

1965

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 08:45:36.798809; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Vicinity of the Mercury Passage, east coast of Tasmania, Australia