Abstract: Benthic habitat surveys undertaken by Deakin University and Australian Marine Ecology using an acoustically positioned towed video unit in and around the 12 Apostles MNP between the 19/01/2006 and 24/01/2006, which resulted in approximately 14 hrs of video footage. Identification of benthic biota, to the lowest discernible taxonomic level, and substrate characteristics were recorded according to the Victorian Towed Video Classification scheme. Original video footage in digital format is stored at Deakin University and may be available on request.
Purpose: Video transects were carried out in conjunction with 655km2 of multibeam echosounder (MBES) surveys (bathymetry and backscatter) at priority sites for the Victorian Marine Habitat Mapping Project, funded through Natural Heritage Trust. Scored video information was used to train and validate statistical models to produce full coverage benthic habitat maps.