Animal Telemetry Network, ATN

The vastness of the ocean limits our ability to observe; this technology is leading to profound advancements in our understanding of these animals and how they interact with the ocean. This knowledge translates to a better understanding of our planet and emerging issues on climate change.

Scientists began widely using marine animal tagging technology in the 1990’s on tuna, sharks, sea turtles, seals, whales, salmon, squid and crustaceans, among others. Sensors track the animals over long distances for multiple years, collecting valuable data below the surface from remote and difficult to reach environments where conventional oceanographic sensing techniques are technically or economically unfeasible.  However, data are collected in different ways for varying applications. A major challenge is to better synchronize the many different tagging programs and improve data sharing to the broader ocean science community.

While the animal tagging community has made great strides in data sharing, collection and analysis, efforts are continue to create a stronger bridge among these scientists and other ocean observers.  IOOS along with other federal, state and academic scientists are working to establish a framework for integrating biological observations to the IOOS, which is expected to begin as early as the fall of 2011.

Animal Telemetry Observations and Applications

 

In the last 25 years, technological advances have made it possible to use animals as platforms to carry remote-sensing devises (i.e. Animal Telemetry). Large animals such as sharks and marine mammals can carry sophisticated tags that sample the environment and report to satellites. Small animal like salmon and other fish can carry small acoustic tag and communicate to acoustic receivers. Access to integrated animal telemetry observations is improving ocean forecasts,  establishing baseline habitat usage studies on potential sites of future anthropogenic disturbance, providing critical information for protecting Endangered Species and finally improving Fisheries Management.

Project Details

Animal Telemetry Programs / Projects in North America.

Animal Telemetry programs/projects in North America (yellow dots)

Animal Telemetry programs/projects in North America

Atlantic Arena

Coast of Maine Passive Acoustic Sensor System (CoM-PASS)
Penobscot Telemetry Group
Atlantic Cooperative Telemetry Network (ACT)
Florida Atlantic Coast Telemetry Project (FACT)   
Adopt a Billfish
Tag A Giant Foundation 

Pacific Arena

California Fish Tracking Consortium (CFTC)
Northwest Hawaiian Islands array
PacIOOS array
Hawaii TunaTagging Project (HTTP)    
Large scale Census of Marine Life (COML) projects:
Tagging of Pacific Pelagics (TOPP)  
Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking (POST)

Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico – wide Acoustic Array Network (GAAN)

Great Lakes

Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observing System (GLATOS)

Alaska

Alaska Animal Telemetry Ocean Observing. (AATOS)
Internationally funded project
Ocean Tracking Network (OTN)

Contact Information

Project Manager, Dr. Hassan Moustahfid:
Email:Hassan.moustahfid@noaa.gov
Phone: 301-427-2447

Collaboration and Workshops

IOOS Animal Telemetry Observations Workshop, March 2 - 3, 2011

 NOAA’s IOOS and National Marine Fisheries Service had hosted a meeting in Santa Cruz, California in order to bring together the broader tagging community.
The goal of the workshop is to talk about establishing a national capacity for Animal Telemetry Observations and developing a stronger national capacity to understand coastal and ocean biology and oceanography.

• Agenda (pdf, 28kb,)
• List of Participants (pdf, 22 kb)

Background Materials

Exploring New Technology Horizons by Mary Glakin, Tracy Rouleau, Suzanne Skelley, and Zdenka Willis (pdf)

 

Workshop Synthesis Report

Toward a National Animal Telemetry Observing Network (ATN) for our Oceans, Coasts and Great Lakes