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| Global Tagging of Pelagic Predators | |
|---|---|
| Name | Global Tagging of Pelagic Predators |
| Start date | 2000s |
| Type | Scientific tracking and monitoring |
| Location | Atlantic Ocean; Pacific Ocean; Indian Ocean; Southern Ocean; Arctic Ocean |
| Participants | Tagging of Pelagic Predators project partners, academic institutions, NGOs, governmental agencies |
Global Tagging of Pelagic Predators Global Tagging of Pelagic Predators is an international scientific initiative that coordinates electronic and conventional tagging of large oceanic predators to resolve movements, life history, and human interactions. The program integrates field programs, satellite telemetry, archival tagging, and fisheries collaborations to inform conservation and management across ocean basins and high seas.
The initiative unites participants from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Monterey Bay Aquarium, University of Miami, University of British Columbia, CSIRO, University of Cape Town, University of Tokyo, University of Auckland, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Pew Charitable Trusts, World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, BirdLife International, International Union for Conservation of Nature, International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, Convention on Migratory Species, United Nations Environment Programme, Global Ocean Observing System, International Seabed Authority, European Commission, National Science Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and regional fisheries organizations to share data, methods, and policy outcomes.
Researchers employ satellite-based telemetry from platforms like Argos and Global Positioning System augmentations, acoustic telemetry tied to arrays such as Ocean Tracking Network, pop-up satellite archival tags modeled after devices developed by Wildlife Computers and Lotek Wireless, implantable archival tags refined by National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, and conventional external tags derived from designs used by Stanford University, University of California, Santa Cruz, Cornell University, and University of Exeter. Methods incorporate genetically informed tagging protocols connected to laboratories at Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, London, Australian Museum, and California Academy of Sciences for species identification and life-history sampling. Tag attachment and bio-logging innovations coordinate with engineering groups at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, Duke University, and Princeton University to measure depth, temperature, acceleration, magnetometry, and respiration proxies.
Study designs follow stratified sampling across regions such as North Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean and integrate fleet-based efforts from vessels affiliated with European Union, Japan Fisheries Agency, Ross Sea Committee, and artisanal fisheries in collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations programs. Deployments use standardized protocols from consortia like Animal Telemetry Network and capacity-building with institutions such as University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, University of São Paulo, and National Taiwan University. Tagging campaigns coordinate seasonal windows in regions including Gulf of Mexico, Bay of Bengal, Coral Triangle, Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean Sea, and Tasman Sea to sample species across life stages and fisheries interactions.
Tagging yields discovery of long-distance migrations linking breeding and foraging grounds including corridors used by Atlantic bluefin tuna, Yellowfin tuna, Pacific bluefin tuna, Bigeye tuna, Swordfish, Blue shark, Shortfin mako shark, Great white shark, Mako shark, Leatherback sea turtle, Loggerhead sea turtle, Green sea turtle, Albatrosses, Wandering albatross, Humpback whale, Sperm whale, and Orca populations, and reveals mesoscale habitat use associated with features such as the Gulf Stream, Kuroshio Current, Agulhas Current, Brazil Current, Equatorial Counter Current, and Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Data clarify seasonal residency, site fidelity, partial migration, diel vertical migration, and pelagic predator responses to thermal fronts, eddies, and oxygen minimum zones documented in studies at Sargasso Sea, Peru Current, California Current, Benguela Current, Somali Current, and Black Sea projects.
Centralized databases and metadata standards are maintained through platforms like Ocean Biogeographic Information System, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Movebank, and the Tagging of Pelagic Predators consortium, with integration into repositories supported by European Marine Observation and Data Network, ICES, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and GEBCO. Analytical frameworks use statistical and machine-learning tools developed at University of Oxford, ETH Zurich, University of Cambridge, Columbia University, New York University, University of California, Davis, and Princeton University to run state-space models, hidden Markov models, and step-selection analyses. Standardization efforts reference protocols from International Union for Conservation of Nature guidelines, Convention on Biological Diversity targets, and data policies shaped by Open Geospatial Consortium and the Fair Data Principles.
Outputs inform fishery management measures under International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, and national action plans for Australia, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, United States, and Japan. Tagging results contribute to design of marine protected areas cited by Convention on Biological Diversity, bycatch mitigation strategies promoted by Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, trade measures under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and climate adaptation planning referenced by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments. Collaborations with NGOs including Oceana, Greenpeace International, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and Wildlife Conservation Society translate movement data into outreach and policy briefs.
Ethical review and animal welfare oversight are conducted through institutional boards at University of British Columbia, Stanford University, University of California, Santa Cruz, University of Miami, University of Auckland, University of Cape Town, and compliance with national regulations from United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan). Logistical challenges engage port authorities in Cape Town, Honolulu, Valparaíso, Lisbon, Plymouth, Sydney, and Auckland, and require coordination with the International Maritime Organization and satellite service providers such as Iridium Communications and Inmarsat. Environmental considerations address potential tag impacts highlighted by studies associated with Smithsonian Institution, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography and promote best practices endorsed by International Whaling Commission and veterinary standards from World Organization for Animal Health.
Category:Marine biology Category:Animal telemetry