A new, publicly-available larval-fish dataset, with 30 years of historical data, is expected to provide a benchmark for climate change effects on Australian fisheries. Numerous bodies collaborated to produce the database, which contains 12 samples from some 3,178 projects and is one of the first of its kind globally. The challenge of identifying early-life-stage fish to the species level reportedly adds to the value of the dataset, as it has been resolved to a standard level that enables comparisons across projects. The data could help to assess changes in ocean currents or seasons and has already highlighted population changes in several species.
A new, publicly-available larval-fish dataset, with 30 years of historical data, is expected to provide a benchmark for climate change effects on Australian fisheries. Numerous bodies collaborated to produce the database, which contains some 3,178 samples from 12 projects and is one of the first of its kind globally. The challenge of identifying early-life-stage fish to the species level reportedly adds to the value of the dataset, as it has been resolved to a standard level that enables comparisons across projects. The data could help to assess changes in ocean currents or seasons and has already highlighted population changes in several species.