Sea Creatures to Be Tracked Electronically
Pastor Dale Morgan
Feb 12, 9:06 AM EST
*Sea Creatures to Be Tracked Electronically*
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID
AP Science Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a modern update of "fish and chips," researchers
are planning a worldwide effort to track the movement of sea creatures
tagged with tiny electronic devices.
Following pilot testing in the north Pacific, the Ocean Tracking Network
will expand to the Atlantic, Arctic, Mediterranean and Gulf of Mexico.
Details of the expansion were scheduled to be announced Monday at
Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Sea life ranging from salmon to whales, turtles to sharks, will be
tagged so they can then be tracked as they swim past arrays of sensors
placed at critical locations in the oceans.
The Ocean Tracking Network "will foster the development of new Canadian
technology, a deeper understanding of the effects of climate change and
help shape fisheries and endangered species management worldwide," Peter
MacKay, Canada's minister of foreign affairs and minister of the
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, said in a prepared statement.
Initial research for the effort was done as a joint U.S.-Canada project
in the north Pacific.
The goal is to eventually have 5,000 ocean receivers arranged in 60
lines worldwide, capable of tracking up to 1 million animals at the same
time. Headquarters will be at Dalhousie University.
Some listening equipment already in use can be modified to become part
of the program while other areas will need new equipment, officials said.
In the new system tagged sea creatures will also collect data from other
tagged animals they encounter.
That means scientists studying data from a shark, for example, would
also know what other fish or sea mammals it had encountered in its
travels - or even the ones it ate if they were tagged.
The scientists said the tracking system will allow them to better
understand animal movements and behavior changes that occur due to
global warming. That will help in managing fisheries both for
conservation and business.
In addition to Canada and the U.S., participants in the program include
universities and organizations in South Africa, Australia, Japan, Spain,
New Zealand, Portugal, Mexico, Iceland and Norway.
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On the Net:
Ocean Tracking Network: http://www.oceantrackingnetwork.org