Tag the hunting animals in the Pacific

Scientists found that there are two large areas in the North Pacific Sea that are a promising land for marine life, attracting a diverse array of predators in the projected distribution models. guess the season. The results from the Pacific Ocean Predatory Tagging Project (TOPP) were published in Nature , June 22, 2011.

In the eastern part of the North Pacific Ocean, the North Pacific ocean currents split into: the California ocean current flows south along the west coast of the United States, and the Alaska ocean flows north. Therefore, the North Pacific region has a boundary between cold water Arctic ocean currents and warmer subtropical currents, both hotspots that attract large marine predators, according to results of the study.

" These are the two regions that have the most abundant food sources, and all of the predators are attracted by the abundant food resources, these two areas can be said to be like the grasslands in the Great. ", according to coauthor Daniel Costa, professor of ecology and evolutionary biological research, working at the University of California, Santa Cruz, USA. " We tagged more than 20 species, including whales, tuna, seagulls, sharks and turtles, . and we can know where and when these predators appear. , providing valuable information for efforts to manage and protect rare and ecosystem species . "

Researchers are part of the TOPP project, tracking the movement of top predators, including blue whales.

Newly collected data are the result of a decade of efforts to implement the TOPP Project to keep track of the movement of the top Pacific predators in the long run. Provide a remarkable picture of important migration paths and habitats for these species. The TOPP project was conceived by Costa and Barbara Block, working at Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, USA. They partnered with Steven Bograd, working at Alaska NOAA Oceanographic Center; Randy Kochevar, working at Giant Fish Lake in Monterey Bay, and others to launch the TOPP project in 2000. Although information on some tagged fish species has been published in a number of previous magazines. Here, but Nature is the first magazine to post all the information about 23 species of ocean-dwelling predators: how to migrate and their ability to adapt to different habitats.

" This is the first publication that links all the details together in one place, " said Costa, who oversees the monitoring of mammals, birds and turtles. " We have assembled a large team of investigators to study the diversity of marine species and explore their habitat. In the past, there has never been a project to survey many species. Ocean creatures on a large scale like this . "

Researchers use many technologies to track the migration of different species. A sophisticated electronic tagging device has been developed to allow detailed tracking of each habitat of large ocean predators, as well as help track environmental changes such as water temperature, salinity, and depth. Overall, the project implemented 4,306 electronic cards on 23 major ocean predator species, capturing a large amount of data being analyzed by scientists.

Research results show that water temperature can play an important role in promoting seasonal migration of many large ocean predators. This is particularly evident in the ocean ecosystem, defined by California's cool climate, and nutrient-rich ocean currents that flow south along the west coast of the United States. The correlation between the movement of predatory animals in the ocean and of sea surface temperature measurements via satellite shows that seasonal warming in the South can trigger the migration of many animals hunt in the ocean to the north, while colder temperatures in the north trigger the migration of many predators in the south to the south.

This is the first step towards using ocean observation satellites to predict conditions and where ocean predators live . Accurately predicting areas where ocean predators live in vast Pacific basins are the goal of the TOPP project, and this is still one of the most important aspects of operation. Continuous research by researchers tells when this project was started in 2000. " When we know exactly where ocean predators live, we can better manage resources and similarities. hybrid of species in the ocean, "Block said. " The ability to observe and predict marine conditions where fish species live may be the basis for the concepts of ecosystem management ."

Many ocean predators live their lives in California waters, while others choose to travel across the Pacific to reach a richer source of food, with diversity and abundance. More of prey like: mollusks, sardines, anchovies and squid. For example, the giant sea turtle that lives in California waters can be moved from Papua New Guinea, the Seagull bird from New Zealand, while the caretta and the tortoise from the Sea of ​​Japan. " This is an extremely important feature that some native animals have retained so far, such as California sea lions, living forever in California waters ," Costa said.

Another hot spot is the North Pacific Transition Area (NPTZ), which extends across the North Pacific, from Japan to Washington state, USA. This is like a weather boundary in the ocean, where warm and cool sea currents meet together. The NPTZ transition zone acts as an East-West migration corridor and is an ideal food search area for elephant, shark, large seagulls, tuna and other predators. in the ocean.

The researchers also used the new data collected from the TOPP Project, to monitor and test the habitat partition of closely related species. For example, tuna species adapt well to changes in water temperature, and preferences correlate with physiological differences between different species in the ocean. In addition to developing new tracking technologies and technologies, researchers must manage massive data sets and aggregate data types for final analysis. A group of researchers from Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Canada, played an important role in analyzing data. "The number of co-authors of the study demonstrates the complexity of studying ocean predators, with the help of many modern tools and massive data sets ," Costa said.

In addition to Block and Costa, co-authors of this study include: Ian Jonsen, Arlis Winship, and Greg Breed of Dalhousie University, Canada; Salvador Jorgensen, James Ganong, Alan Swithenbank, and Mike Castleton of Stanford University; Scott Shaffer of San Jose State University; Steven Bograd, Elliott Hazen, Dave Foley, Heidi Dewar, and Scott Benson of Alaska NOAA Oceanographic Center; Autumn-Lynn Harrison, Michael Weise, and Bill Henry of UC Santa Cruz University, USA; Bruce Mate of Oregon State University, United States and Kurt Schaefer of the North-South American Tropical Tuna Commission.

The TOPP project is one of 17 projects investigating the life of ocean creatures. This is an effort of 80 countries around the world, aiming to realize the ambition of 10 years of assessing and explaining the diversity and abundance of creatures living in the ocean. TOPP projects funded by the Foundation: Moore, Packard, and Sloan; with additional funding from the US Naval Research Agency, Alaska NOAA Oceanographic Center, JIP-OPG Marine Life, and the Giant Fish Lake Grant Fund in Monterey Bay.