This dataset contains the results from quadrat surveys from 5 sites in Cockburn Sound, Perth, Western Australia. A survey was conducted in September 1994 to determine the biomass and distribution of filter feeders in relation to seagrass distributions. Macro-suspension-feeders biomass was high in Posidonia meadows and generally lower in bare sediment, although on bare sediment the introduced polychaete Sabella spallanzanii reached considerable biomass. Epifaunal feeders on Posidonia leaves reached a substantial biomass. Heterozostera and Amphibolis meadows appear to support a low biomass of macro-suspension-feeders and epifaunal feeders.

The study focused on locations in Marmion Lagoon in south-western Australia (31º49.4 S, 115º02.5 E) Five nearshore reefs: South Lumps, Whitfords Rock, The Lumps, Cow Rock and Wreck Rock (Table 1) were sampled. All sites were sampled in summer and autumn (January 2007 to April 2008) during calm conditions. Sponges and ascidians at each site were chosen haphazardly. Organisms on top of the reefs and reef walls were sampled and filtration rates measured.

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.

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.

This record describes the benthic assemblage survey data collected as part of the 1993-1996 South East Fishery Ecosystem Study undertaken by CSIRO Division of Fisheries. Benthic sled tows (c.4 per survey) were carried out at selected locations on transects across the continental shelf and in intensive survey areas in eastern Bass Strait, south-west Victoria, and south-west NSW waters. Data were collected in July 1993 (cruise SS 05/93), August 1994 (cruise SS 05/94), April 1996 (cruise SS 02/96) and November 1996 (cruise SS 06/96). Large collections of benthic invertebrates were identified and many photographed. As part of the analysis stage of the project, these assemblages wil be related to substrate characteristics on the one hand and fish faunal assemblages on the other.

Australia has gazetted an ambitious national network of Commonwealth Marine Reserves that includes the iconic Huon and Tasman Fracture reserves off Tasmania where seamounts (‘undersea mountains’) support unique deep-water coral reefs. These reefs rank among the most bio-diverse globally. Protection of deep-water coral reefs is a high-priority conservation concern nationally and internationally because deep-water corals are very fragile, easily impacted by human activities including bottom trawling, and are believed to recover very slowly. These corals may also be highly vulnerable to climate change because projected changes in water chemistry could limit the ability of corals to build calcareous skeletons. Despite these concerns, and Australia’s significant investment in marine conservation, several fundamental ecological issues remain to be evaluated. These include defining the spatial extent of deep-sea coral communities inside and outside the Tasmanian reserves, and evaluating the resilience of the communities to bottom trawling. This information is important to understanding the dynamics of deep-sea communities globally, and for developing and implementing conservation management plans. The survey aboard RV Investigator set out to determine the spatial extents of deep-sea coral communities in and adjacent to the Huon and Tasman Fracture reserves, and quantify changes in the communities by comparing samples taken in 2018 to samples taken, using similar methods, in 2007 and 1997. There was supplementary sampling on the heavily trawled St. Helens Seamount which was surveyed in 2008. This metadata record refers to the image data collected during the survey. The imagery collected for this project have been registered to the 2018 incidence of the CSIRO VARS database, where annotations have been added. The annotations collected for this project have also been linked to the Oracle data base BHIMAGE and the associated videos and still images have been archived as described in MarLIN record 14436 'Benthic Habitats Video Image Archive'.