Following the trail

Other data can help in fixing a fish's position more exactly. Cross referencing sea surface temperatures measured by the tag against surface temperatures measured by satellites enables latitude estimates to be refined significantly. These methods together can estimate longitude to within ±0.5° and latitude to within ±1.0-2.0°.


Sea surface temperature map of the Pacific Ocean from NOAA (USA)

The tag's data also provides other important information to questions about the fish's behaviour:

Is it migrating and travelling long distances each day, or is it milling about feeding?

• How often and how deep is it diving?
• Is it feeding at the surface or at depth?
• Is it migrating at the surface or at depth?
• What is its migration route?
• Is there a return seasonal migration?

Finding answers to all these questions is important in managing and conserving these fish. The following are some of the current projects using new tagging technology.

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