This dataset compiles bottom trawl survey data on demersal fishes collected along the western and southwestern coasts of Taiwan from 2020 to 2023. The survey covered 41 sampling stations across 10 key locations, ranging from Miaoli in the north to Pingtung in the south. In addition to commonly surveyed nearshore shallow areas, the sampling also extended to offshore regions with depths reaching 450 meters, encompassing distinct underwater geomorphological features such as the Changyun Rise, the Kaoping Submarine Canyon, and the Penghu Channel. This dataset represents one of the few systematic investigations in Taiwan that span a wide spectrum of bathymetric and geomorphological gradients.

All surveys were conducted aboard the R/V New Ocean Research III, using a standardized 6-meter-wide beam trawl towed for 30 minutes at a speed of approximately 2 knots. A total of 119 hauls were completed, yielding 10,494 individual records representing 219 demersal fish species across 80 families. For each haul, the dataset includes species identification, number of individuals, sampling date, station location, and water depth.

Published in Darwin Core format in accordance with GBIF standards, this dataset provides essential baseline information for understanding demersal fish assemblages in soft-bottom ecosystems along Taiwan’s western coast. As one of the few publicly accessible bottom trawl datasets from East Asia, it supports applications in marine protected area (MPA) planning, species distribution modeling (SDM), ecosystem service valuation, and global data integration for sustainable ocean governance.

GBIF url: https://www.gbif.org/dataset/56fc46e6-3b01-4673-be20-e5f81ba405e4
Citation: Chen M H, Lai C C (2025). Bottom Trawl Survey of Demersal Fishes and Essential Fish Habitats along the Western Coast of Taiwan (2020–2023). Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung Taiwan. Sampling event dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/9z8zx6 accessed via GBIF.org on 2025-06-18.