Tracking Ocean Wanders (PDF, 5 MB) - BirdLife International

Programme overview
Tracking ocean wanderers: the global distribution of albatrosses and petrels
Tagging of Pacific Pelagics (TOPP) is a large
multidisciplinary research program that combines the
efforts of fish, shark, squid, and marine bird, mammal, and
reptile biologists with the oceanographic community to
study how the physical processes of the oceans affect species
distributions, abundances, and movement patterns (Block et
al. 2003). A central objective of TOPP is to devise better
predictive tools to model ecosystem dynamics of the North
Pacific Ocean and possibly other oceans in the future.
TOPP also aims to increase public awareness of ocean life
by developing outreach programs to educate students,
teachers, and the general public about the lives of
organisms that most people rarely see in a lifetime.
To study pelagic predators, TOPP investigators are using
the animals as ocean explorers to obtain an “organism eye”
view of the pelagic realm. Thus, animals are equipped with
state of the art microprocessor-based data collection
devices (see Table 1 for details on seabirds) to sense and
record a variety of parameters of the ocean environment
(e.g. temperature, conductivity, and light) in which they
inhabit. Data are either transmitted via the Advanced
Research Global Observation Satellite (Argos) uplink or
animals are recaptured at a later date for device recovery and
data retrieval. In addition, TOPP investigators are using a
variety of remote sensing tools (e.g. AVHRR, SeaWifs,
QuickScat) that are combined with data collected on the
animals to obtain a clearer picture of the physical and
biological processes that influence where pelagic organisms
find food. In essence, this information will provide a much
greater resolution of the “hotspots” that cause marine
predators to aggregate in specific oceanic regions.
A final element of the TOPP program is to develop a
suite of analytical tools that can be used to quantify, qualify,
visualise, and archive data in a more integrative and dynamic
way. One tool already under development is a Live Access
Server (LAS), which is a database that contains information
collected on the animals as well as environmental data
collected via remote sensing. When visualised together
(Figure 1), a clearer view of the physical features that
influence where animals travel can be obtained. For example,
Figure 1 shows the movement pattern of a Laysan Albatross
ANNEX 5 TAGGING OF PACIFIC PELAGICS (TOPP)
tracked with satellite telemetry from Tern Island, Northwest
Hawaiian Islands. The track is overlaid on top of the average
wind vectors and barometric pressure for the time period in
which the animal was tracked. We believe that the LAS is a
tool that will provide researchers, environmental managers
and policy makers with the information necessary to
regulate, manage, and conserve pelagic ecosystems of the
North Pacific Ocean.
The role of seabirds in the TOPP Program
Pelagic seabirds are major marine predators that search for
food over both meso- and broad-scale ocean habitats
(Hyrenbach et al. 2002, Fritz et al. 2003). The physical
forcing of water aggregates their prey, so it is conceivable
that seabirds seek out particular oceanographic features to
find food. Seabirds also form an integral part of the TOPP
program because many species overlap spatially, temporally,
and trophically with other TOPP organisms. Therefore, it is
possible to investigate the interactions between seabirds and
other TOPP organisms by tracking multiple species at the
same time. Another and perhaps more compelling reason
why the TOPP program is studying seabirds is that they
operate over very large spatial scales within a minimum
amount of time because they can fly rapidly over the sea
surface (400-500 km day -1 in albatrosses). Thus, seabirds can
sample the marine environment quickly, so their response to
changes in oceanographic features occurs over short temporal
scales compared to most other TOPP organisms.
TOPP is also studying seabirds because many species
forage in locations that overlap with areas heavily used by
human activities. For example, Laysan and Black-footed
Albatrosses forage in areas that are prime fishing grounds
for the longline fishing fleets. Thus birds are exposed to
risks of entanglement with hooks or nets. The information
gained by studying seabirds directly or indirectly affected by
interactions with humans follows one of the main directives
of TOPP’s parent program, the Census of Marine Life
(CoML), which is a large international organisation
interested in conserving marine life.
Currently, there are four seabird species being studied in
the TOPP program. This includes Laysan and Black-footed
Albatrosses tracked from Tern Island, Northwest Hawaiian
Islands, and Laysan Albatrosses from Guadalupe Island,
Mexico. Investigators are also conducting preliminary
studies on Sooty Shearwaters (Puffinus griseus) at Snares
Island, New Zealand and Pink-footed Shearwaters (P.
creatopus) at the Juan Fernandez Islands, Chile. Although
the shearwaters breed in the southern hemisphere, they are
known to migrate into the North Pacific in between
breeding seasons. At this time, it is believed that the birds
remain in the North Pacific for several months. Therefore,
TOPP investigators are testing the use of archival
geolocation tags to track the migratory flight patterns of
the shearwaters during the non-breeding periods.
Scott Shaffer and Dan Costa
Table 1. Electronic tags deployed on seabirds in TOPP.
Tag Cost Location Quality Duration of use Size (grams) Species
Argos PTT $2,500 0.1–60 km 30-40 d 15–30 Albatrosses
GPS $1,500 3–10 m 30+ d 60 Albatrosses
Archival $1,000 ~ 185 km 2 yrs 6 Albatrosses and Shearwaters
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