Marine acoustic telemetry has advanced our understanding of the behavioral ecology of marine organisms, but telemetry positional error and limits on the number of targets that can be tracked simultaneously limit the scale and scope of research. The PI requests funding to develop a Large-Area High-Resolution Marine Acoustic Tracking System. This project will develop a prototype of a new class of marine acoustic telemetry systems (including tags, receivers, and software) capable of tracking up to 500 targets simultaneously over a large area (>1km) and with sub-meter accuracy.
Broader Impacts:
The key broader impact is the development of improved telemetry instrumentation and information for the scientific community. If the system does achieve the goals of the project it will be a valuable asset to researchers and the knowledge they generate from its use. This is important because acoustic telemetry is the future of fish movement studies and its application to evolutionary and ecology of marine fishes. The second target of broader impact is graduate and undergraduate training. All of the academic salaries requested are for a graduate student for 3 years and a shorter period of post-doc support. This will insure the engagement of a student in the project. Undergrads attending an associated course at FHL will also have opportunities to be involved in the project. Outreach is focused on the general public via outreach infrastructure at Friday Harbor Labs.
