In the planing of the construction of a gas pipeline from Longford in Victoria to Bell Bay in Tasmania by Duke Energy International various environmental approvals were required from the Tasmanian, Victorian and Commonwealth Governments in Australia. CSIRO Marine Research conducted a photographic inspection and took dredge samples of the seafloor at points along the proposed pipeline route to provide input to these environmental assessments.The marine section of the route runs from Seaspray (Vic) through to Five Mile Bluff (Tas). The survey method and results are provided in the form of a 'data report' . see link below.

The dataset comprises catch records of infauna from box core deployments completed on research voyage SS 03/2005. The survey design was a natural experiment (i.e. control-impact, but not before-after) to test the long-term, broadscale effects of prawn fishing on non-target species and habitats. Deployments were stratified by fishing intensity (three strata) and day/night. The survey was repeated in three regions: (a) north of Groote Eylandt, (b) north-east of the Vanderlins, and (c) north of Mornington Island. The number of deployments completed as part of the natural experiment was 123.

Field surveys were undertaken at Marmion, Rottnest Island and Jurien Bay to measure the biomass of key taxa and benthic functional groups. Surveys of fish, invertebrate and western rock lobster were completed at 32 sites across the three regions. Within each of these three key regions, sites were identified as being either reef or seagrass habitat.

The dataset comprises catch records of invertebrates and fish from epibenthic sled deployments completed on research voyage SS 03/2005. The survey design was a natural experiment (i.e. control-impact, but not before-after) to test the long-term, broadscale effects of prawn fishing on non-target species and habitats. Deployments were stratified by fishing intensity (three strata) and day/night. The survey was repeated in three regions: (a) north of Groote Eylandt, (b) north-east of the Vanderlins, and (c) north of Mornington Island. The number of deployments completed as part of the natural experiment was 124. Two additional deployments were completed for other reasons.

This record describes zooplankton data collected as part of the 1993-1996 South East Fishery Ecosystem Study undertaken by CSIRO Division of Fisheries. This cruise took place in waters off southern Tasmania during 3 November - 1 December 1992, under the leadership of Tony Koslow. Zooplankton samples were collected by bongo and/or drop nets at stations 2-43 and taxa identified and listed in numerical dominance.

The overall aims were to provide data on the distribution of deep seabed habitats and fauna that are amenable to scientific hypothesis testing, can be immediately applied to marine resource management processes, and that enable strategic development of tools and techniques for understanding the processes that maintain deep sea biodiversity. This work was to support the process of NWR Estate inventory and management performance assessment by providing interpreted benthic habitat maps, faunal inventories, distribution maps and conservation values. Data will be collected at scientific reference sites from potential MPA areas that can be re-visited for monitoring purposes in the future. Sampling along environmental gradients (geographic range and depth) in this section of Australia's coast will also provide the opportunity to evaluate biogeographic hypotheses. Further refinement of predictive methods for identifying seabed habitat types, initially developed in temperate and cool-temperate environments, will be enabled by data collection from this tropical location in Australia. We intended to highlight the importance of this underlying science as a modern "Voyage of Discovery" given the likely significance of the findings in terms of Australia's biodiversity and its biogeography and evolution. (From Voyage Plan). Sediment samples were divided into two samples: an elutrition sample for macroinvertebrates that was sent to Robin Wilson at MV for analysis and a sediment sample to be analysed by Geoscience Australia.

The dataset comprises catch records of demersal fish and invertebrates from prawn trawl deployments completed on research voyage SS 03/2005. The survey design was a natural experiment (i.e. control-impact, but not before-after) to test the long-term, broadscale effects of prawn fishing on non-target species and habitats. Deployments were stratified by fishing intensity (three strata) and day/night. The survey was repeated in three regions: (a) north of Groote Eylandt, (b) north-east of the Vanderlins, and (c) north of Mornington Island. The number of deployments completed as part of the natural experiment was 124. Outside of the natural experiment, an additional 31 deployments were completed at dawn or dusk for diet analysis and an additional two deployments were completed for other reasons.

This dataset contains species distribution, abundance and identity data of benthic invertebrates from Batemans Bay, NSW. Epifauna samples from the inter-tidal and subtidal rocky coasts around the bay were sampled twice, in November 1990 and August 1991. The data were taken as a control site for similiar sampling in Jervis Bay. The data are part of the Jervis Bay Marine Ecological Study. NB - As the database has been lost, the only data still available are those published in the JERVIS BAY BASELINE STUDIES Final Report.

This dataset contains species distribution, abundance and identity data of benthic invertebrates from Jervis Bay, NSW. Epifauna samples from the inter-tidal and subtidal rocky coasts around the bay were sampled at 3 monthly intervals between November 1988 and August 1991. Taxa identified 51 species appearing consistently at most temporal and/or spatial scales on intertidal and subtidal reefs in Jervis Bay. The data are part of the Jervis Bay Marine Ecological Study. NB - As the database has been lost, the only data still available are those published in the JERVIS BAY BASELINE STUDIES Final Report.