Brief description
Cappo, Heyward, Speare GOALS: To map the benthic habitats, and record the associated fish, shark and ray faunas, of the major clusters of Timor Sea shoals at 3 depth zones : 20-30m, 40-60m and 90-110m. APPROACH: Towed camera footage and real-time seabed classifications [substratum,major benthic groups present (eg seagrass,sponge gardens, gorgonians, hard corals, occurrence of individual benthic animal (eg crabs, starfish, clams)] has been obtained from 3 shoals near Evans Shoal, 6 Karmt shoals and 6 Sahul shoals ; as well as 4 adjacent sites in 96-100m on the continental shelf. BRUVS have been deployed at these same 3 depth zones: 20-30m, 40-60m and 90-110m at 3 shoals near Evans Shoal, 6 Karmt shoals and 6 Sahul shoals; as well as 4 adjacent sites in 96-100m on the shelf. 6 BRUVS were set in a line and towed camera footage was obtained during 3 replicate tows amongst this set of BRUVS. Multivariate statistics will be used to explore associations amongst fish and the benthic habitats they are found in. HIGHLIGHTS TO DATE: · Shallows dominated by extraordinarily rich benthos down to >70m · Shallows have moderately diverse fish faunas, lacking large economically-important sharks, serranids, lutjanids and lethrinids · Deepest zones have most abundant fauna of larger fish in these 3 families · Sharks notably absent c.f. other similar regions (eg Rowley Shoals), and most seen were pups · Several species of lutjanid and serranid recorded for first time in Aust. waters · New photographs obtained of species never filmed underwater before (eg Wattsia, Epinephelus morrhua) · Juvenile lethrinids abunadnt in dense seagrass beds at depth · Seagrass detritus visible down to 100mLineage
Maintenance and Update Frequency: asNeeded
Statement: Original record compiled for the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI), Project 3.8, 2008. Original records sourced from AIMS Data Centre export (May, 2008).
Notes
CreditM. Cappo
Modified: 06 2008
Data time period: 2004-01-01 to 2004-12-01
text: westlimit=125.52; southlimit=-10.88; eastlimit=125.79; northlimit=-10.7
Subjects
ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES |
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS |
Benthic Habitat |
BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION |
BIOSPHERE |
Baited Remote Underwater Video Stations (BRUVS) |
Biodiversity |
Cameras | Video Cameras - underwater |
EARTH SCIENCE |
Fish |
Field Surveys | Underwater Surveys |
Habitat Map |
Marine Habitat |
OCEAN TEMPERATURE |
OCEANS |
Oceans | Marine Biology | Marine Invertebrates |
Oceans | Marine Biology | Marine Plants |
Rays |
Regional Seas | Timor Sea |
Seagrass |
Sharks |
Thermocline |
biota |
oceans |
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Identifiers
- global : 516811d7-cc86-207a-e0440003ba8c79dd