Fish larvae associations with cultivated giant kelp forests: First evidence from a large-scale farm in the Benguela upwelling systeM

The dataset comprises ichthyoplankton (fish larvae) survey data collected between May 2024 and March 2025 from two coastal sampling sites off Lüderitz, Namibia: Shearwater Bay (SWB), a cultivated giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) farm, and Far North Control (FNC), a nearby kelp-free control site. The raw data include sampling dates, sample identification numbers, site information, taxonomic identification of fish larvae (family, species, and common name where applicable), larval developmental stage, and the abundance of each taxon recorded per sample. The workbook also contains processed datasets summarising species richness and diversity, community composition, larval abundance, and correlations between biological and environmental variables. These data were collected to assess the role of cultivated kelp forests as potential nursery habitats by comparing the abundance, diversity, and composition of fish larvae between the cultivated kelp habitat and an adjacent control site.