Analysis of Approaches for Monitoring Biodiversity in Commonwealth Waters - Field work report

The overall objective of this project was to contribute to a blue-print for a sustained national environmental monitoring strategy for monitoring biodiversity in the Commonwealth Marine Areas. The approach would apply to Key Ecological Features (KEFs) and the Commonwealth Marine Reserve (CMR) Network, focusing initially on the Southeast Marine Region. CMRs and KEFs are large, remote and poorly known, so this project focussed on identifying flexible, statistically robust approaches to survey design and data collection that could result in comprehensive descriptions of the surveyed area and at the same time provide a statistical baseline for future repeat surveys in the same area. Given the conservation status and values of these areas, non-destructive sampling tools were prioritized, including remote sensing using acoustics (e.g. multibeam) that provide information on seafloor characteristics (bathymetry, hardness and texture), and direct observation using video and camera stills, taken by towed units, autonomous units or baited units.