Habitat complexity and fish data from restored and natural Eelgrass meadows from Sweden

This dataset includes structural complexity and fish data from June 2023 from two areas in the West coast of Sweden (Skagerrak): 1) Bay of Askerön; and 2) Bay in the island of Gåsö; where two eelgrass (Zostera marina) plantations were conducted in 2021 and 2019 respectively. The samplings took place during daylight hours within the two study areas in June 2023. The structural complexity of the restored and natural (reference) eelgrass meadows was quantified through three metrics: shoot density (shoots/m2), dry shoot biomass (g/m2), and canopy height (cm). Fish communities were surveyed on transects by snorkeling divers using a stereo-video system (Stereo-DOV) and Underwater Visual Census (UVC) simultaneously. Each transect lasted 7 minutes, covering an average of 140 m2 (70 x 2 m). Each observed fish with both methods was identified to the species level when possible. With Stereo-DOV fish were also measured for total length (TL) to enable subsequent biomass estimations.