Advances in very small, low power, microelectronics have generated a bevy of new monitoring devices that can be attached to marine animals in order to collect scientific data and transmit it remotely, often by satellite Obeticholic Acid datasheet or other wireless technologies [3]. Data collected through these techniques generally includes information on the behavior and activities of tagged animals such as diving behavior, foraging movements and migration patterns [3]. In some cases these instruments can also provide data on the surrounding ocean, such as salinity, currents and temperature, providing details on the environment the animal is swimming through [2]. Several forms of bio-logging platforms are in use, and they

can be separated out by their mode of data collection and recovery. The simplest forms of bio-logging instruments emit a radio signal that is tracked via satellite [4] or VHF antenna [5] and animal locations are estimated via triangulation/Doppler-shift techniques [6]. Advanced forms of these platforms can relay dive information as well over radio frequencies. These devices are used on a variety of

marine organisms; however, their use is restricted to animals that surface periodically or fly (e.g. marine turtles, seabirds, marine mammals and some large pelagic fishes) as radio signals are not propagated through the water. In contrast, many bio-logging platforms are archival, where data is collected (often including higher Nivolumab manufacturer resolution

location data derived from GPS systems) and stored onboard the devices and then downloaded/transmitted after the deployment finishes [6]. In some cases archival tags must be recovered (usually by tracking it with a co-located radio beacon as above) and the data downloaded manually. This can be accomplished if the platform is released from the animal at a certain time or, in the case of small animals, during a recapture period where the tag is removed during animal handling at a rookery or haulout [7]. In some cases, data can be collected over an extensive period of time and then transmitted when the tag is shed from the study animal [8], or it spends enough Oxalosuccinic acid time onshore for data to be transmitted from the tag [9]. This is especially true for platforms developed for pelagic fishes that employ light-based geo-location techniques. These tags calculate positions of animals using ambient light levels and these data are transmitted to researchers via satellite relay when the tag is shed from the animal and floats to the surface [10]. In many cases real-time tracking is not possible with many archival bio-logging platforms. The use of telemetry and bio-logging devices on all the major taxa of marine top predators, including fishes, marine reptiles, seabirds, and marine mammals, promotes novel marine scientific research without the need for expensive and conventional research cruises.