New satellite tag gives fresh insights into whale behaviour

Developed by Oregon State University researchers in partnership with Telonics, Inc., the tag will allow researchers to observe key whale behaviour events, identify important habitat and better understand whales’ response to human activity such as ship traffic or military sonar.

Rising shipping traffic puts whales at an increased risk of being struck by large vessels. The upper 30m of the water column – the vertical expanse from the water’s surface to the ocean floor – is considered the ‘danger zone’ for whales passing through shipping lanes.

“One of the benefits of these new tags is that they give us information about how much time whales are spending within the danger zone throughout their migration,” said Daniel Palacios, endowed associate professor in whale habitats at OSU’s Marine Mammal Institute. “With that information, we can identify areas of higher risk and make more informed decisions to help protect them from the threat of ship strikes.”