Closing the gap between science and conservation: Sea Creatures
to Be Tracked Electronically February 12, 2007 — By Randolph E.
Schmid, Associated Press WASHINGTON — 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 foreig