Test Chamber Design for Remotely Deployed Migratory Tracking Tags Used on Large Whales

Knowing the location of whales as they migrate, eat, and breed is of significant interest to those concerned with the conservation of endangered whale species. This information can be used to adjust human activities, such as naval traffic, commercial fishing, and the exploration for oil and gas, to manage the recovery of these species. When tracking large whales over long distances and periods of time, satellite-monitored radio tags are used to communicate where the whales are located. These tags are remotely deployed as either dorsal body tags or dorsal fin tags. A dorsal body tag, is a radio transmitter that anchors subdermally in a region near the dorsal fin so that it can transmit whenever the whale surfaces. Dorsal fin tags are a similar form of radio transmitter that anchors directly to the dorsal fin. Tag trials on stranded whale carcasses are commonly used to test both dorsal body tag and dorsal fin tag designs [1,2]. However, there is a need to develop a more readily available testing method for dorsal body tags.