Addressing strategic knowledge gaps in the Oceanic Shoals bioregion, Western Australia

BRUVS, Towed Video, Digital Stills, CTD, Multibeam This survey acquired new shoals data that extends AIMS coverage across the bioregion, significantly increasing the information on shoal features within the Commonwealth¿s Oceanic Shoals marine reserve and further undertake strategic research relevant to understanding disturbance and connectivity across the region.Data on the limited number of shoals surveyed to date indicate some shared attributes, in terms of species and habitats present, but also high variability between shoals in the nature and relative abundance of dominant organisms, which we hypothesize may relate to spatially variable disturbance histories from storms, shelf position, water clarity and shoal depth and so on.