Ocean Tracking Network

Last summer, students from the Nova Scotia Community College - NSCC’s ocean technology program helped deploy and recover OTN receivers for an Atlantic mackerel tagging project. Their efforts came full circle during a recent site visit, when OTN’s scientific director, Robert Lennox, updated them on the research project as part of a larger presentation for his spatial and movement ecology class. This visit also included an equipment demonstration in Dalhousie University's Aquatron facilities—where NSCC students were able to practice 'flying' an ROV!

New paper alert! 📣 Bio-logging is transforming our understanding of animal behaviour and environments. This paper, co-authored by our director of data operations, Jonathan Pye, outlines a vision for creating dynamic digital archives through standardized data platforms to enable data integration, preservation, and long-term access. 🔗 Read the full paper: https://lnkd.in/e_2tpdwP

For International Day of Women and Girls in Science this year, we’re celebrating the incredibly skilled women who help drive OTN's data operations. From data acquisition to analysis to management and more, their expertise in computer science, biology, math, and ocean technology is at the heart of everything we do. A huge shoutout to Angela, Naomi, Caitlin, Ying, Shannon, and Joy—an inspiring team of women leading the way in data and ocean sciences! 🌊🔬🎉

We're proud to be the official recommendation of the Integrated Ocean Observing System Marine Life Data Network (MLDN) for sharing acoustic telemetry data! This partnership boosts data accessibility, promotes research collaboration, and supports marine conservation efforts. By contributing marine animal movement data to the MLDN, we're helping integrate key insights about marine species and ecosystems into a global network of scientific research. 🔗 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/emjhK_2E

Matt Futia is postdoctoral fellow at the University of Vermont. In this interview, we discuss his use of acoustic telemetry to understand the habitat use and feeding behaviour of lake trout in Lake Champlain. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/epv8AzJk

Apoqnmatulti’k, a collaborative project that we're proud to be part of, is featured as a case study in a new paper exploring how researchers can critically reflect on their perspectives to build stronger, more equitable research partnerships. While this paper isn’t specifically focused on aquatic animal tracking—OTN’s usual area of expertise—it provides invaluable practical guidance for fostering collaboration across diverse cultures and perspectives, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity in research. Congratulations to all the project partners—including OTN’s field operations & data acquisition coordinator, Shannon Landovskis (a former MSc student with Apoqnmatulti’k)—who co-authored this significant work! Read the full paper: https://lnkd.in/eSCbkwb4 The Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq UINR The Bailey Lab

Sable - The French word meaning “sand” Sable is also the name of OTN’s newest Slocum glider—a nod to OTN's former scientific director, Sara Iverson, who spent many years of her career studying seals on sandy, wind-swept Sable Island. Sara retired from her role as scientific director at the end of 2023, but her impact on OTN continues! Sable will embark on its first mission later this year to help monitor critically endangered right whales in shipping lanes.

New paper alert! 📣 Migratory Alosids such as alewife, blueback herring, and American shad are vital connectors of freshwater and marine ecosystems, but their populations are in decline. This review highlights what we know—and what we still need to learn—about their marine ecology in the northwest Atlantic. 🔗 Read the full paper: https://lnkd.in/eyRFKTh6

To cap off another fantastic year for the OTN team, here are a few core memories: 1 - Four-metre swells can't dampen the field team's spirits during a mission to recover nearly 240 acoustic receiver stations off the coast of Newfoundland. 2- Our scientific director tagged one of Canada's rarest, most endangered species—the Atlantic whitefish. 3 - We hosted 13 data managers from 10 different regional nodes in Halifax for OTN's 2024 Node Manager Training. 4- Wave Gliders were very busy this year, offloading animal tracking data from over 300 acoustic receiver stations. 5 - Our project management team got to highlight OTN projects on a global stage at the UN Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona.  6 - The ROV travelled outside the province for the first time, recovering eight stuck acoustic receiver stations in Quebec! 7 - At the CommOCEAN Conference, we took home the top prize for a 1-minute pitch presentation on Tag! You're It!—OTN's conservation financing partnership with Big Spruce Brewing. 

OTN and Integrated Marine Observing System have teamed up to draft a new guide on acoustic telemetry mooring design best practices for Ocean Best Practices System. To strengthen the value of this document, we are requesting community evaluation and feedback before it’s submitted. If you would like to peer review our OBPS submission, please express your interest via this Google form. All acoustic telemetry users are invited to share their input! https://lnkd.in/eYXMV6jH