Multiple – Before After Control Impact (M-BACI) analysis of the effect of a 3D marine seismic survey on Danish Seine catch rates

A 2020 seismic survey that was conducted in the Gippsland Basin to map geological formations for potential hydrocarbon exploration overlapped with a large area of the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery’s Danish seine fishery. Due to the nature of seismic testing and the potential for adverse effects on fish stocks, a series of robust experiments were undertaken and data collected from multiple impact sites and control sites. The hypothesis being tested in this experiment was that the catch rates of key target species in the Danish seine commercial fishery off Lakes Entrance are impacted by marine seismic surveys.