This dataset comprises still images collected using a deep-towed camera during the RV Investigator voyage IN2023_V05, titled "Untangling the causes of change over 25 years in the southeast marine ecosystem (SEA-MES Voyage 1)." This was the first survey of the South East Australian Marine Ecosystem Survey (SEA-MES) Project. The voyage was conducted between 27 June 2023 and 29 July 2023 and sampled the south-eastern Australian continental shelf and upper slope from the Freycinet Peninsula to north of Eden.
The deep-towed camera was deployed along survey transects to capture imagery of benthic habitats and associated fishes. The images provide visual records of seafloor characteristics, habitat structure, and faunal assemblages, supporting the classification of habitat types and identification of fish species.
The dataset supports assessments of habitat–fauna relationships, validation of trawl catch data, and long-term monitoring of ecosystem change within the SEA-MES study region, contributing to the establishment of new biological and environmental baselines for south-eastern Australia.