Marine ecosystems are increasingly threatened by overfishing, pollution, coastal development and climate change, underscoring the need for long-term, representative information on key fish populations and habitats to inform management and policy. Underwater fish observation (UFObs) techniques, such as Underwater Visual Census (UVC), stereo-Baited Remote Underwater Video (stereo-BRUV) and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), play a key role in sustaining long-term data collection. Despite technological advancements, gaps persist in understanding research focus, geographic distribution and methodological biases inherent in these methods. We conducted a scientometric analysis of 1443 peer-reviewed publications (1953–2023), employing natural language processing and network analysis to map the research landscape. We identified 15 knowledge clusters, including marine protected areas, apex predator conservation and reef ecosystems. Our findings reveal increasing use of BRUVS and ROVs in studies of marine protected areas and subsea infrastructure, while UVC remains prevalent in shallow coral reef research. Geographic representation is skewed, with the field dominated by researchers based in Australia and the United States, and underrepresented in Africa and Southeast Asia. This imbalance highlights the need for more inclusive, globally coordinated monitoring and reporting. Our results underscore the urgency of standardising protocols within each observation method and developing interoperable reporting frameworks across techniques to maximise data comparability and foster international collaboration. Addressing these challenges will strengthen the field's capacity to inform global conservation strategies and support sustainable fisheries management.
- Global analysis of shallow underwater fish observation research: 70 years of progress, persistent geographic biases and a path forward
- Angus John Van WykRick D. Stuart-Smith - University of TasmaniaJordan S. Goetze - Curtin UniversityEva Maire - Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueElodie Heyns-Veale - South African Institute for Aquatic BiodiversityKaylee Smit - South African Institute for Aquatic BiodiversityTim J. Langlois - The University of Western AustraliaM. Aaron Macneil - Dalhousie UniversityAlejandro Pérez-Matus - Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileAmanda T. Lombard - Nelson Mandela UniversityAna Carolina - Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCOChristy Semmens - Reef Environmental Education FoundationElla Clausius - University of TasmaniaFernanda A. Rolim - Universidade de São PauloJonathan S. Lefcheck - University of Maryland Center for Environmental ScienceJacquomo Monk - University of TasmaniaJoanna K. Schmid - University of TasmaniaKatherine Tattersall - CSIRO Oceans and AtmosphereLaura Ghigliotti - National Research CouncilLuther Adams - South African Institute for Aquatic BiodiversityMelita Samoilys - Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian OceanPascale Chabanet - Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiquePaul Whomersley - Fishwell Consulting (Australia)Peter Walsh - University of TasmaniaReiji Masuda - National Institute of Technology, Maizuru CollegeRussell Brainard - Penta-Ocean Construction (Japan)Anthony Bernard
- Fish and Fisheries
- 99211969909311
- MARine Biodiversity, Exploitation & Conservation - MARBEC
- English
- Journal article
- hal-05580131