Deployment of biologging tags on free swimming large whales using uncrewed aerial systems
Suction-cup-attached biologging tags have led to major advances in our understanding of large whale behaviour. Getting close enough to a whale at sea to safely attach a tag is a major limiting factor when deploying these systems. Here we present an uncrewed aerial system (UAS)-based tagging techniqu...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Royal Society
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.221376 |
| _version_ | 1797844233974972416 |
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| author | David N. Wiley Christopher J. Zadra Ari S. Friedlaender Susan E. Parks Alicia Pensarosa Andy Rogan K. Alex Shorter Jorge Urbán Iain Kerr |
| author_facet | David N. Wiley Christopher J. Zadra Ari S. Friedlaender Susan E. Parks Alicia Pensarosa Andy Rogan K. Alex Shorter Jorge Urbán Iain Kerr |
| author_sort | David N. Wiley |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Suction-cup-attached biologging tags have led to major advances in our understanding of large whale behaviour. Getting close enough to a whale at sea to safely attach a tag is a major limiting factor when deploying these systems. Here we present an uncrewed aerial system (UAS)-based tagging technique for free-swimming large whales and provide data on efficacy from field testing on blue (Balaenoptera musculus) and fin (B. physalus) whales. Rapid transit speed and the bird's-eye view of the animal during UAS tagging contributed to the technique's success. During 8 days of field testing, we had 29 occasions when a focal animal was identified for attempted tagging and tags were successfully attached 21 times. The technique was efficient, with mean flight time of 2 min 45 s from launch to deployment and a mean distance of 490 m from the launch vessel to tagged animal, reducing potential adverse effects resulting from close approaches for tagging. These data indicate that UAS are capable of attaching biologging tags to free-swimming large whales quickly and from large distances, potentially increasing success rates, decreasing attempt times, and reducing animal disruption during tagging. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T17:19:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fb60c4108e2a455ea51af6bdf1acdbc5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T17:19:00Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-fb60c4108e2a455ea51af6bdf1acdbc52023-04-19T07:05:37ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032023-04-0110410.1098/rsos.221376Deployment of biologging tags on free swimming large whales using uncrewed aerial systemsDavid N. Wiley0Christopher J. Zadra1Ari S. Friedlaender2Susan E. Parks3Alicia Pensarosa4Andy Rogan5K. Alex Shorter6Jorge Urbán7Iain Kerr8Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Services, 175 Edward Foster Road, Scituate, MA 02066, USAOcean Alliance, Inc., 32 Horton Street, Gloucester, MA 01930, USAInstitute for Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz 95064, CA, USADepartment of Biology, Syracuse University, 114 Life Science Complex, Syracuse, NY 13244, USAOcean Alliance, Inc., 32 Horton Street, Gloucester, MA 01930, USAOcean Alliance, Inc., 32 Horton Street, Gloucester, MA 01930, USADepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2350 Hayward, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USADepartment of the Coastal and Marine Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz 23084, MexicoOcean Alliance, Inc., 32 Horton Street, Gloucester, MA 01930, USASuction-cup-attached biologging tags have led to major advances in our understanding of large whale behaviour. Getting close enough to a whale at sea to safely attach a tag is a major limiting factor when deploying these systems. Here we present an uncrewed aerial system (UAS)-based tagging technique for free-swimming large whales and provide data on efficacy from field testing on blue (Balaenoptera musculus) and fin (B. physalus) whales. Rapid transit speed and the bird's-eye view of the animal during UAS tagging contributed to the technique's success. During 8 days of field testing, we had 29 occasions when a focal animal was identified for attempted tagging and tags were successfully attached 21 times. The technique was efficient, with mean flight time of 2 min 45 s from launch to deployment and a mean distance of 490 m from the launch vessel to tagged animal, reducing potential adverse effects resulting from close approaches for tagging. These data indicate that UAS are capable of attaching biologging tags to free-swimming large whales quickly and from large distances, potentially increasing success rates, decreasing attempt times, and reducing animal disruption during tagging.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.221376uncrewed aerial systemsdroneswhalestaggingbiologging |
| spellingShingle | David N. Wiley Christopher J. Zadra Ari S. Friedlaender Susan E. Parks Alicia Pensarosa Andy Rogan K. Alex Shorter Jorge Urbán Iain Kerr Deployment of biologging tags on free swimming large whales using uncrewed aerial systems Royal Society Open Science uncrewed aerial systems drones whales tagging biologging |
| title | Deployment of biologging tags on free swimming large whales using uncrewed aerial systems |
| title_full | Deployment of biologging tags on free swimming large whales using uncrewed aerial systems |
| title_fullStr | Deployment of biologging tags on free swimming large whales using uncrewed aerial systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Deployment of biologging tags on free swimming large whales using uncrewed aerial systems |
| title_short | Deployment of biologging tags on free swimming large whales using uncrewed aerial systems |
| title_sort | deployment of biologging tags on free swimming large whales using uncrewed aerial systems |
| topic | uncrewed aerial systems drones whales tagging biologging |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.221376 |
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