Standard Presentation Australian Marine Sciences Association 2026 Conference

Developing Climate Indicators from a National Baited Video Synthesis (140194)

Brooke Gibbons 1 , Tim Langlois 1 , Jordan Goetze 2 , Euan Harvey 3 , Leanne Currey-Randall 4 , Mark Meekan 1 , Ben Radford 4 , Dianne McLean 4 , Alan Jordan 5 , Hamish Malcolm 6 , Nathan Knott 6 , David Harasti 6 , Ben Saunders 3 , Daniel Ierodiaconou 7 , Neville Barrett 5 , Stephen Newman 8 , Mike Travers 8 , Jacquomo Monk 5 , Charlie Huveneers 9 , Richard Evans 2 , John Keesing 10 , Sasha Whitmarsh 7 , Danny Brock 11 , Jamie Hicks 11 , Matt Rees 6 , Rachel Przeslawski 5 , Andrew Hoey 12 , Thomas Holmes 2 , Christopher Henderson 13 , Shaun Wilson 4 , Conrad Speed 4 , Tom Clarke 9 , Andrew Olds 13
  1. The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
  2. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, Western Australia, Australia
  3. School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  4. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  5. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
  6. Fisheries Research, NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Huskisson , NSW, Australia
  7. School of Life and Environmental Science, Deakin University, Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia
  8. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Hillarys, WA, Australia
  9. College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  10. CSIRO Environment, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Crawley, WA
  11. Department for Environment and Water, Government of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
  12. College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
  13. School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, , Sippy Downs, QLD

Incorporating climate change into marine State of the Environment reporting requires robust, scalable indicators derived from consistent long-term data. However, such indicators are often limited by fragmented datasets and a lack of standardised approaches across regions.

The Fish Collective synthesis dataset, comprising approximately 30,000 baited remote underwater video (BRUV) deployments across Australia, provides a unique opportunity to address this gap. By harmonising data collected using consistent methods, it enables national-scale analyses of fish community change.

We use this dataset to calculate the Reef Fish Thermal Index (RFTI), a trait-based indicator reflecting the thermal affinities of species within assemblages, across the west and east coasts of Australia. Analyses are restricted to locations with sufficient temporal coverage to detect trends, supporting the development of a climate-sensitive indicator grounded in long-term observations.

This work aims to evaluate the utility of RFTI as a policy-relevant metric for detecting climate-driven shifts in fish communities and informing State of the Environment reporting. While analyses are ongoing, this study demonstrates the value of large, standardised synthesis datasets for generating nationally consistent indicators of ecological change.