Tagging whales and sharks with fine scale and satellite telemetry

Early September 2016 our research crew along with Jake Levenson (Marine Biologist and Conservation Adviser from USA) headed out to Faxaflói Bay 

 

From researchers aboard our tours documenting sightings, to focused tagging efforts, Elding is working hard to be a responsible and top notch whale watching operation.

 

We have been collecting information on species diversity, distribution, abundance and site fidelity of whales in Faxaflói Bay for many years. This information tells us how the whales in the bay are doing, it lets us know if our operating code of conduct is sufficient to avoid harming whales, and helps shed light on these animals we know so very little about.

 

Documenting species and behaviour only answers part of the question, if you want to know what whales are doing when boats are not around, you need to employ some creative techniques. That's where telemetry comes in. Telemetry is basically a fancy word for attaching little gadgets that track where animals go and what they do.

 

As part of Elding’s research program, we began fine scale telemetry research in the summer of 2015 and in 2016 we added satellite telemetry. With fine scale telemetry we attach a small device with suction cups that logs everything the whale does. When the device pops off, we can analyze how the animal behaves when we can no longer view it with our eyes. While satellite telemetry can tell us what areas of the bay are important - if the whales our business depends on are at risk of being harpooned by whalers, and it can shed light into the little known migratory behaviour of whales.