Tagging of Pacific Predators

Tagging of Pacific Predators
Name	Tagging of Pacific Predators
Region	Pacific Ocean
Subjects	Marine predators
Methods	Electronic tagging, satellite telemetry, acoustic tagging

Tagging of Pacific Predators is the practice of attaching tracking devices to apex and mesopredators in the Pacific Ocean to study movement, behavior, and ecology. Researchers from institutions such as the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution collaborate with agencies like the National Marine Fisheries Service, Pew Charitable Trusts, and Wildlife Conservation Society to implement tagging programs across regions including the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, California Current, and Coral Triangle.

Overview

Tagging initiatives combine expertise from teams at Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Washington, University of Hawaii at Manoa, and NGOs such as Bloom Association and Ocean Conservancy. Projects frequently intersect with efforts by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Smithsonian Institution, Victoria University of Wellington, and Australian Institute of Marine Science. International collaborations include partners from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Instituto Oceanográfico de la Universidad de São Paulo, The Nature Conservancy, and multilateral forums like the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, Pacific Islands Forum, and Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research.

Target Species and Study Areas

Tagging targets are selected predators such as white shark, great white shark, tiger shark, leopard seal, southern elephant seal, California sea lion, Steller sea lion, leatherback sea turtle, green sea turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, Pacific bluefin tuna, albacore tuna, yellowfin tuna, swordfish, marlin, giant trevally, manta ray, Mobula birostris, shortfin mako shark, thresher shark, hammerhead shark, and seabirds like the wandering albatross, Laysan albatross, short-tailed albatross, brown pelican, and red-footed booby. Study areas include ecosystems near Aleutian Islands, Hawaiian Islands, Galápagos Islands, Mariana Trench, Great Barrier Reef, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, and coastal zones off British Columbia, Baja California, Peru, Chile, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Micronesia.

Tagging Methods and Technologies

Researchers employ technologies developed by companies and labs linked to Wildlife Computers, Lotek Wireless, Vemco, Sirtrack, and university engineering teams at California Institute of Technology and Georgia Institute of Technology. Methods include externally attached pop-up satellite archival tags derived from work at National Aeronautics and Space Administration, internally implanted archival tags influenced by biomedical research at Mayo Clinic, acoustic telemetry arrays modeled on systems used by University of Oslo projects and the Integrated Marine Observing System, and novel biologging sensors informed by collaborations with Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, and Max Planck Institute for Ornithology. Tag types include GPS-enabled tags interoperable with Argos (satellite system), Fastloc GPS, archival accelerometers, magnetometers, and temperature-depth recorders adapted from protocols used by International Whaling Commission research. Deployment techniques reference capture methods from teams associated with Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and surgical procedures guided by veterinarians at Brookfield Zoo and Taronga Zoo.

Data Collection, Analysis, and Applications

Collected datasets are integrated into platforms supported by Global Ocean Observing System, OBIS (Ocean Biogeographic Information System), Tagging of Pacific Predators Consortium, and institutional repositories at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Analytical approaches use tools developed at Princeton University, University of British Columbia, University of Miami, University of Southampton, and University of Cape Town employing state-space models, hidden Markov models, machine learning pipelines from Google Research collaborations, and movement ecology frameworks advanced by researchers at Pennsylvania State University and University of Oxford. Applications inform fisheries management for stocks overseen by Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, marine spatial planning within Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, bycatch reduction strategies promoted by Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, and climate impacts assessments featured in reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Ecological and Conservation Impacts

Tagging has revealed transboundary migrations connecting foraging grounds described in studies from University of British Columbia and University of Auckland, illuminated critical habitats highlighted by Convention on Migratory Species listings, and supported protected area designations advocated by The Pew Charitable Trusts and World Wildlife Fund. Data have been used in stock assessments informing measures by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and recovery plans referenced by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for endangered taxa such as leatherback sea turtle and short-tailed albatross. Tagging studies have influenced policy debates in forums like the United Nations General Assembly and Convention on Biological Diversity meetings, and contributed to baseline records used in long-term monitoring programs led by NOAA and the National Science Foundation.

Ethical, Logistical, and Regulatory Considerations

Ethical review and permitting involve institutional animal care committees at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, veterinary oversight linked to Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and national permits from agencies such as NOAA Fisheries, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Australian Fisheries Management Authority, and national ministries in Japan and Philippines. Logistical challenges require vessel support from fleets associated with Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and charters coordinated with United States Coast Guard and regional authorities like the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Regulatory frameworks intersect with laws such as the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, and international instruments including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and compliance with CITES listings.

Category:Marine biology Category:Animal tagging Category:Pacific Ocean