Fishes play a critical role in the function of coastal ecosystems and provide nutrition and livelihoods for millions of people, but are threatened by numerous anthropogenic pressures. Broad-scale datasets are required to determine the generality of lessons derived from local ecological studies and ultimately provide the context to evaluate the most important and widespread threats to fish and associated ecosystems globally.
Research on coastal and nearshore demersal fishes has been largely carried out at local scales, with limited standardisation or coordination among projects and organisations. This compromises data interoperability and reduces opportunities to answer pressing broad-scale questions. To identify solutions to this problem, CoNCENSUS aims to (a) advance our understanding of the complementarity and interoperability of data collected by different visual census methods, and (b) undertake parallel evaluations of the status of coastal and nearshore demersal fish assemblages, and the processes structuring them over spatial scales relevant to regional and global reporting.
The Working Group will enable the adoption of best practice guidelines and protocols for the collection, management, and curation of fish survey observations based on traditional and novel methodologies in order to provide recommendations on how best to utilise data from multiple methods to monitor and study coastal fish populations from local to global scales. Furthermore, CoNCENSUS will develop workflows and tools for the management, publication and visualisation of open-access data.
It aims to lay the foundation for relevant and sustained research that encourages capacity development, furthers our fundamental understanding of coastal ecosystems, and provides essential support for policy and decision-makers.
Determine the extent to which data obtained from the most widely applied visual census methods (UVC, DOV and BRUVs) and sampling approaches can be used in conjunction to measure and report on the status of coastal and nearshore demersal fish assemblages from low to high latitudes at a global scale.
Endorse best-practice guidelines for the visual census methods that ensure a common base level of data and metadata collection required to enable data to be interoperable, useful for reporting on key indicators on fish assemblage status and reusable in the future. Where best-practice guidelines are not available or incomplete, they will be drafted and subjected to the endorsement process requirements of the Global Ocean Observing System Biology and Ecosystems panel (GOOS BioEco) and Ocean Best Practices System (OBPS).
Develop data schema and vocabularies relevant to the visual census techniques, establish and implement data management protocols aligned with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and open-access principles, and establish infrastructure and workflows for open-access data to be published on OBIS and dedicated web-based platforms.
Evaluate the potential of emerging and alternative research techniques to be integrated into a broader community of practice and determine priority areas for engagement, capacity development and research to enhance spatial coverage and strengthen the global research network.
Establish a global community of practice willing to employ the agreed minimum methods in programmes with demonstrated sustainability, and who are willing to share data through the agreed workflow and web-based platforms.