Tasmanian Rocky Reef Biodiversity: Long-Term Abundance Data from Ninepin Point MPA

Australian Ocean Data Network provides quantitative abundance data for fish, invertebrates, and algae from temperate Australian rocky reefs. The data, collected using transect-based methods at 5m and 10m depths, focuses on temporal changes following protection in long-term Marine Protected Areas. This specific record contains data collected at the Ninepin Point site in Tasmania, with temporal replication on a year scale.

Use Cases

• Modeling temporal trends in fish and invertebrate abundance based on year-scale replication mentioned in the description.
• Assessing the impact of marine protection on algal cover based on transect data from protected sites.
• Comparing biodiversity metrics between different depth zones (5m vs 10m) based on the survey methodology.
• Analyzing spatial and temporal patterns of temperate reef biota across the surveyed locations in Australia.

Strengths

• Data includes temporal replication on a year scale, enabling analysis of long-term trends.
• Methods are documented in a cited peer-reviewed publication (Edgar and Barrett, 1997).
• Quantitative data covers multiple biotic groups: fish, megafaunal invertebrates, and algal cover.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Transect-based counts at 5m and/or 10m depths, as described in Edgar and Barrett (1997).

Time Range

Temporal replication on a year scale, but specific start/end years are unknown.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-23 05:47:04.896477; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Temperate Australia, specifically the Ninepin Point Marine Protected Area in Tasmania.