Australian National Fish Expert Distributions

Brief description

The CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (CMAR) Bioregionalisation database contains expert assessed modelled distribution range information for fish species in Australian waters, compiled and upgraded over the period 1996-present. Ranges for individual species are computed from values representing minimum and maximum depth, and linear start/end points around the 500 metre depth contour extrapolated towards and away from the coast. The resulting range maps can be output as images, shape files, or OGC web services (WMS and WFS).

Data were initially compiled as input to IMCRA, the Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia, and NMB, the National Marine Bioregionalisation of Australia. Ongoing upgrade and completion of the database is funded as a contribution to the Atlas of Living Australia, 2010-2012.

The range data have been compiled from validated specimen records, literature accounts and the input of a range of expert contributors via specially convened workshops, checked and extended by CMAR staff in 2010-2012 prior to being made available publicly via the ALA and other mechanisms. Geographic limits were set with a precision of plus or minus 25km approx. around the 500m depth contour (isobath), and depth limits to between plus or minus 50m and plus or minus 5m according to available data. These values were then used to subset a 0.1 degree square (10 km nominal) gridded bathymetry to generate the resulting maps and shapefiles across the region of interest. Additional mechanisms were employed to infill data in shallow regions (specifically Bass Strait and the Gulf of Carpentaria) not suitable for extrapolation from the 500m depth contour.

Modelled Fish Distributions - Background information to online maps as available on FishMap, the ALA website and the AODN Portal
CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Australia (CMAR) has used a technique for 2-dimensional analysis (distance around Australia's coast plus minimum-maximum depth range), translatable to geographic maps via a gridded bathymetry. These have been refined since the initial work which led to the Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia Report (IMCRA, 1996), through additional studies such as the CSIRO South-East Marine Region (SEMR) study, 2001, the Validation of National Demersal Fish Datasets for the Regionalisation of the Australian Continental Slope and Outer Shelf (Last et al., 2005), and for the CERF Marine Biodiversity Hub report (Lyne et al., 2009). For an overview of methodology see Last et al. (2005).
Distributional ranges represent the currently known limits of occurrence for many species in terms of distance and depth around the Australian coastline, and are based on the best validated evidence and expert knowledge.
The most recent version of the mapping data was compiled in 2010-2012 by a team from CMAR funded jointly by the CSIRO Wealth from Oceans (WfO) Flagship and the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA). The team comprised Daniel Gledhill, Peter Last and William White, assisted by Tony Rees (Data Management and Data Publishing support) and John Pogonoski, Alastair Graham, Carlie Devine and Louise Conboy (Australian National Fish Collection). However, there has been significant contributions from participants in earlier parts of this work, including Alan Williams, Alison Phillips, Gordon Yearsley, Roger Scott, Spikey Riddoch, Suzanne Long and Vincent Lyne (CSIRO), Martin Gomon and Di Bray (Museum Victoria), Ken Graham (formerly NSW Fisheries), Barry Hutchins (Western Australian Museum), Jeff Johnson (Queensland Museum), John Paxton, Mark McGrouther and Doug Hoese (Australian Museum), Barry Russell and Helen Larson (NT Museum), Tomio Iwamoto (California Academy of Sciences), Kunio Amaoka (Hokkaido University), Lee Belbin (formerly Australian Antarctic Division), and Patricia Kailola and Rudie Kuiter (consultants).
References
IMCRA (Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia Technical Group), 1996. Interim Marine Bioregionalisation for Australia: towards a national system of marine protected areas. CSIRO, Hobart.

CSIRO, 2001. Rapid Assembly of Ecological Fish Data (Community Composition and Distribution) for the South-east Marine Region. CSIRO Marine Research, Hobart, 52 pp.

Last, P., Lyne, V., Yearsley, G., Gledhill, D., Gomon, M., Rees, T. & White, W., 2005. Validation of national demersal fish datasets for the regionalisation of the Australian continental slope and outer shelf (>40 m depth). Report to National Oceans Office, 98 pp.
Lyne, V.D., White, W.T., Gledhill, D.C., Last, P.R., Rees, A.J. & Porter-Smith, R. 2009. Analysis of Australian continental shelf provinces and biomes based on fish data. Hobart, Tas. CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research; 2009; 44 pp.

Notes

Includes: distribution maps