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Since 1986, CLS has been the operator of the Argos satellite-tracking and data collection system. Today, over 4,200 land animals, marine animals and birds are tracked worldwide using the Argos system. In recent years, satellite-tracking devices (also called biologgers) have greatly enhanced our knowledge of movements, physiology and habitats of marine animals that are otherwise very difficult to observe.
Taking advantage of CLS's proven experience with Argos as well as the oceanographic expertise of CLS's Satellite Oceanography Division, MEMMS is able to propose products and services for ecosystem monitoring and modeling in order to help understand, protect, and manage marine life and ecosystems.
Here is our strategy:
Helping marine biologists analyze animal behavior |
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Building on our oceanographic expertise, we are able to provide a very large number of ocean observations to biologists. These observations (temperature, plankton concentration, currents) help them determine how animals utilize or are constrained by the oceanic environment.
We have also developed tracking data analysis methods that can separate animals' motion from oceanic motion or correlate the vertical and horizontal movements to observed or modeled oceanic conditions.
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Improving the accuracy of geolocations for marine animals
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Light-based geolocations
Satellite-tracking for marine animals that almost never surface, like most fish, is very difficult. Still, a new generation of tags that measures the intensity of light provides a crude daily positioning. Longitude is (roughly) determined by noon time and latitude is given by the length of the day. The location error can be quite large (a few degrees in latitude and longitude), especially near the equator and the equinoxes.
We are working on error reduction to provide better post-processing for fish tags.
Argos locations
Argos can be used to determine trajectories for marine animals that spend time at the surface, like turtles or seals. Nevertheless, it can be difficult to get accurate locations, given the short time these animals spend at the surface, the small size of tags and limited battery power. MEMMS is now actively working with Argos engineers to improve the accuracy of Argos locations for marine animals.
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Providing new tools for fisheries management
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Effective fisheries management depends on accurate estimates of fishing effort. The techniques we have developed to understand animal behavior can also be used to analyze fishing vessel behavior. In particular fishing vessel trajectories provided by satellite vessel monitoring systems (VMS) can be used to detect fishing action/events and even to estimate catches.
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MEMMS improves existing technologies for monitoring marine species by satellite.
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