 Finding new and productive ways to utilize Global Positioning technology.
New GPS tracking system breaks ground
Scientists have tracked a large oceanic fish for the first time
through a GPS device able to relay highly accurate positioning data
right to the researchers’ laptop.
This breakthrough was reported last week in the journal PLoS ONE and opens the gateway to numerous research possibilities that could enhance conservation and fishery management.
The
device on the fish records the precise location of Global Positioning
System (GPS) satellites each time the antenna surfaces the water.
Satellites then send the raw data to computers, such that researchers
can calculate the exact location of each recording.
With this new method, scientists don't need to retrieve the original tag, Planet Earth reports.
“This is a most exciting technological development,” said Professor David Sims of the Marine Biological Association,
who researches the ecology and migration behaviour of marine predators.
“GPS tracking will open a huge research field and it will allow us to
learn many new things about how fishes move in the oceans.”
Comprehending how marine animals travel, their migratory routes and
how long they stay in different places will enable the improvement of
conservation efforts.
“We can't manage fisheries properly if we don't know where
commercial species like tuna or sharks are spending their time,” Sims
explained.
The research team placed the device on three ocean sunfish from the
Gulf of Cadiz. Although two sunfish stopped transmitting data shortly
afterwards, the third device remained active for nearly three months.
These animals primarily feed on jellyfish and spend a lot of the
time by the surface, although they can be found as deep as 600m down.
The device showed that the sunfish travelled to warmer waters as
winter progressed, as expected. But researchers discovered that the
fish’s route south was not straightforward, as the sunfish stopped
frequently along the way, possibly to rest and feed.
“We would never have learned about this pattern of movement with old tracking methods for fish,” he said.
Researchers used a 1.5 m-long line to place the 14 cm-long device on
the sunfish. The next improvement would be making the technology
smaller and more efficient such that the devices will be attachable to
the fish’s fins, Sims said.
“[Eventually,] we'll be able to track smaller fish species, or even
juveniles,” he predicted. “[For example,] we still don't know where
juvenile sharks are for most of the time and understanding their
behaviour is important for their conservation given the global declines
in many pelagic species that are occurring.”
Original article by: FIS CANADA. | 
