Mortality rates of the sea urchin Heliocidaris erythrogramma where estimated under experimental conditions to determine the importance of natural and predation mortality in structuring sea urchin populations. Data was obtained from tethering, tagging and caging experiments at four sites within Mercury Passage and the Derwent Estuary in eastern Tasmania.

The aim of this study is to use artificial boulders in the form of sandstone blocks to investigate the benthic cryptofaunal communities of subtidal rocky reefs; specifically to quantify temporal and spatial patterns, the influence of the sub-block reef profile, and protection from fishing on these animals at locations inside and external to the Maria Island marine reserve in eastern Tasmania.

Sea urchin tagged using tetracycline display visible marks in jaw elements and test plates that can be used to determine growth and subsequently an individuals age. Natural growth lines in the same structures can be used to determine age if natural lines are deposited at a consistent rates independent of age. Sea urchins were tagged using tetracycline and age determined from both fitted growth models and the number of bands deposited. Rates of natural line deposition were also quantified.

The data is a collection of reef habitat structure measurements from sites around Tasmania with regional snapshots from Jurien Bay (WA) and Jervis Bay (NSW). Explanatory variables investigated were depth, duration of protection from fishing within marine protected area, rugosity, boulder substratum at a site, the average number of refuge size categories, and a fractal refuge index that reflected the frequency distribution of different sized physical refuges. Also considered were biogenic habitat structure in the form of the percent cover of canopy algae and the biomass of predatory fish.

Underwater visual census surveys were conducted at 15 sites in eastern Tasmania to quantify the abundance of the sea urchin Heliocidaris erythrogramma and several putative predators.

This metadata record provides a brief overview of the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine Biodiversity (MB) Hub. The record acts as an aggregation point for all NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub data collections and projects developed as part of this research program. The National Environmental Science Program (NESP) is a $142.5 million initiative of the federal government providing a long-term commitment to environment and climate research. The programme builds on its predecessors – the National Environmental Research Program (NERP) and the Australian Climate Change Science Programme (ACCSP) – to support decision-makers to understand, manage and conserve Australia’s environment by funding world-class biodiversity and climate science. The NESP funding program runs from July 2015 to June 2021 and provides funding for six research hubs. The Marine Biodiversity Hub is a collaborative partnership supported by funding from the Australian Government administered by the Department of the Environment's National Environmental Research Programme. The Marine Biodiversity Hub is comprised of scientists from 10 major research institutions undertaking research of Australian oceans and marine environments, including temperate coastal water quality and marine species. The Marine Biodiversity Hub is administered by the University of Tasmania, and led by Professor Nic Bax. The 4 themes of the Marine Biodiversity Hub under the NESP program include: A. Improving the management of threatened and migratory species B. Supporting management decision making C. Understanding pressures on the marine environment D. Understanding biophysical, economic and social aspects of the marine environment Research products from the NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub are available from http://nespmarine.edu.au and the Australian Ocean Data Network catalogue (http://catalogue.aodn.org.au)

Secchi disk data collected by students on the RV Investigator training voyage (Transit IN2018_T01).

Spatially referenced underwater video transect data for Tasmanian coastal waters from the LWM (Low water mark) to 80 metres in depth or 1.5 kms from shore.