Envisioning the future of aquatic animal tracking: Technology, science, and application

Electronic tags are significantly improving our understanding of aquatic animal behavior and are emerging as key sources of information for conservation and management practices. Future aquatic integrative biology and ecology studies will increasingly rely on data from electronic tagging. Continued advances in tracking hardware and software are needed to provide the knowledge required by managers and policymakers to address the challenges posed by the world's changing aquatic ecosystems. We foresee multiplatform tracking systems for simultaneously monitoring the position, activity, and physiology of animals and the environment through which they are moving. Improved data collection will be accompanied by greater data accessibility and analytical tools for processing data, enabled by new infrastructure and cyberinfrastructure. To operationalize advances and facilitate integration into policy, there must be parallel developments in the accessibility of education and training, as well as solutions to key governance and legal issues

The quest for successful Atlantic salmon restoration: perspectives, priorities, and maxims

Atlantic salmon is often a focal species of restoration efforts throughout the north Atlantic and it is therefore an excellent case study for how best to design programmes to address and mitigate threats and correct population declines. This perspective is written to promote the work that has been accomplished towards restoration of Atlantic salmon populations and synthesize how we believe the lessons can be used effectively to support efforts by management agencies to restore populations. We reviewed where restoration is needed for Atlantic salmon, agreed on definitions for three levels of successful restoration, and then applied these criteria to 49 published papers focused on Atlantic salmon restoration. We identified 16 successful examples of restoration among 49 papers reviewed and discussed what interventions led to success versus failure. We then addressed key questions about when hatchery stocking should be used as part of a restoration measure and whether local restoration efforts are enough when these wide-ranging species encounter broad-scale changes in the north Atlantic, specifically related to issues of climate change and to marine survival. We advise to avoid restoration as much as possible by protecting and managing existing populations and when restoration is necessary, problems should be identified and addressed in partnership with river users. With appropriate resources and research to resolve ongoing mysteries, restoration of lost Atlantic salmon populations is absolutely feasible

The ocean tracking network: Advancing frontiers in aquatic science and management

Aquatic animals are integral to ocean and freshwater ecosystems and their resilience, are depended upon globally for food sustainability, and support coastal communities and Indigenous peoples. However, global aquatic environments are changing profoundly due to anthropogenic actions and environmental change. These changes are altering distributions, movements, and survival of aquatic animals in ways that are not well understood. The Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) is a global partnership that is filling this knowledge gap. OTN Canada, a pan-Canadian (and beyond) research network, was launched in 2010 with visionary funding by the Canadian government. In our introduction to this special issue, we briefly overview how this interdisciplinary network has used state-of-the-art technologies, infrastructure, electronic tags and sensors, and associated cutting-edge research and training programs to better understand changing marine and freshwater dynamics and their impact on ecosystems, resources, and animal ecology. These studies have provided unprecedented insights into animal ecology and resource management at a range of spatial and tempora

Biologging in combination with biotelemetry reveals behavior of atlantic salmon following exposure to capture and handling stressors

We investigated the response of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) to capture and handling stressors by analyzing fine-scale locomoto

Conducting and interpreting fish telemetry studies: considerations for researchers and resource managers

Telemetry is an increasingly common tool for studying the ecology of wild fish, with great potential to provide valuable information for management and conservation. For researchers to conduct a robust telemetry study, many essential considerations exist related to selecting the appropriate tag type, fish capture and tagging methods, tracking protocol, data processing and analyses, and interpretation of findings. For telemetry-derived knowledge to be relevant to managers and policy makers, the research approach must consider management information needs for decision-making, while end users require an understanding of telemetry technology (capabilities and limitations), its application to fisheries research and monitoring (study design), and proper interpretation of results and conclusions (considering the potential for biases and proper recognition of associated uncertainties). To help bridge this gap, we provide a set of considerations and a checklist for researchers to guide them in conducting reliable and management-relevant telemetry studies, and for managers to evaluate the reliability and relevance of telemetry studies so as to better integrate findings into management plans. These considerations include implicit assumptions, technical limitations, ethical and biological realities, analytical merits, and the relevance of study findings to decision-making processes

Pan-Holarctic assessment of post-release mortality of angled Atlantic salmon Salmo salar

Recreational Atlantic salmon Salmo salar fisheries are culturally and economically important, but confronted with global population declines, catch-and-release has frequently replaced harvest in these fisheries. Many studies have evaluated the effects of catch-and-release angling on Atlantic salmon; however, studies typically focused on a single system and had small sample sizes. Using data from Atlantic salmon catch-and-release studies conducted in 12 rivers throughout the pan-Holarctic range of wild Atlantic salmon, we modeled delayed mortality data using logistic regression. The model was based on 512 salmon (75 ± 15 cm TL) captured and released with electronic tags (i.e. radio or acoustic transmitters), which permitted the determination of fish fate after release (delayed mortality). The percentage of salmon categorized as survivors after release was high (93%). Salmon with longer body length tended to be played for longer durations (R2 = 0.60) but there was no significant effect of fish length or playing time on mortality. Water temperature at capture emerged as a significant predictor of delayed mortality of salmon. Individuals captured by flies had significantly higher survival (96%) compared to lure (86%) and natural bait (85%) caught salmon. Data from throughout the range of Atlantic salmon confirm that fish captured by anglers adhering to best practices have high probability of surviving catch-and-release angling

Envisioning the Future of Aquatic Animal Tracking: Technology, Science, and Application

Electronic tags are significantly improving our understanding of aquatic animal behavior and are emerging as key sources of information for conservation and management practices. Future aquatic integrative biology and ecology studies will increasingly rely on data from electronic tagging. Continued advances in tracking hardware and software are needed to provide the knowledge required by managers and policymakers to address the challenges posed by the world's changing aquatic ecosystems. We foresee multiplatform tracking systems for simultaneously monitoring the position, activity, and physiology of animals and the environment through which they are moving. Improved data collection will be accompanied by greater data accessibility and analytical tools for processing data, enabled by new infrastructure and cyberinfrastructure. To operationalize advances and facilitate integration into policy, there must be parallel developments in the accessibility of education and training, as well as solutions to key governance and legal issues

Experimental analysis of some factors affecting parental expenditure and investment in Gasterosteus aculeatus (Gasterosteidae)

Parental investment is the cost of providing parental care. Parental investment was measured in the paternal stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, by comparing future survival (measured indirectly as energy content of the body) and growth of parental and non-parental males. The time taken by parental males to renest was also measured. Male energy content was unaffected after a single parental cycle and no difference in growth rate was detected. Re-nesting was delayed. The effect of stressing parental males by exposing them to potential predators of their offspring and reducing their ration level, was also investigated. Stressed males had reduced energy contents in comparison with unstressed parental males. The time taken by stressed males to re-nest was unaffected. Males on low rations did not fan significantly less than well-fed males. Males exposed to brood predators did fan significantly less than parental males not exposed to brood predators, but the former did spend nearly 60% of their time attacking the predators when present.</p