An underwater robot is stalking sand tiger sharks tagged with transmitters to help University of Delaware researchers understand shark migration patterns and behavior while it's occurring. OTIS (Oceanographic Telemetry Identification Sensor), a specially equipped glider, has tracked several sand tiger sharks off the coast of Maryland.
"This is the first time that a glider has found tagged sharks and reported their location in real time," said Matthew Oliver, assistant professor of oceanography in the university's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, in a press release. The research team, which Oliver heads, had previously tagged the sharks over several years. Sand tiger sharks are the top predator in Delaware's bay and coastal waters and play a major role in the region's ecological balance. They have also been listed as a species of concern by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
An underwater robot based on the Slocum glider is tracking sand tiger sharks to help researchers understand shark migration patterns and behavior as it happens. (Source: University of Delaware)
The remote-controlled OTIS, which resembles a yellow torpedo, is one version of the Slocum glider. Designed by Teledyne Webb Research, and used by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Rutgers University, among others, Slocum gliders such as OTIS are normally employed to sample seawater conditions.
For tracking sharks, Oliver equipped OTIS with acoustic receivers to pick up signals from the sharks' transmitters. The project is part of a multi-year partnership with Delaware State University. The robot will give feedback about where sharks are traveling faster than conventional tracking techniques.
Like the Wave Glider robot tracking white sharks for Stanford University, two of the three different types of shark tags used in this study are acoustic. One type of acoustic transmitter pings receivers while passing them by. The receivers, maintained by Dewayne Fox of Delaware State University, are located primarily in Delaware Bay, and a few more are situated along the Atlantic coast. A second type of tag, pop-off satellite archival tags, store data on the sharks' journeys for a year. When that amount of time has passed, they are automatically released and send a location signal so they can be retrieved.
The latest tag, a mobile transceiver made by VEMCO, is a hybrid device, combining a 69kHz coded transmitter with a 69kHz monitoring receiver. Attached to a shark, this transceiver communicates its location and detects the pings of other ocean animals that have acoustic tags. "It will tell us not only where it is, but who it's with," Oliver said. "It's like a social network for sharks."
Note that the sharks tagged in this article are very small compared to great whites, so tagging them is possible and a lot less dangerous. I think Scott's point is well taken--there's a huge amount that we don't know about the ocean and its ecosystems, and perhaps robotics will help us learn more.
I like the concept. If enough variety of species could be made "trackable", then interspecies interactions as well as environmental responses might give us a wealth of information. It seems we know more about the inner workings of atoms than we do about ocean ecosystems.
Chuck, I think you just identified the problem with tracking sharks in order to ensure beach safety. I would guess that even a strong effort to tag sharks would leave countless sharks untagged.
Good question about whether it could be used to track jellyfish, MrDon. My guess is that it would be difficult to tag a jellyfish -- their tissue seem too fragile. But it may depend on the nature of the tag.
mrdon, that's an interesting question about tagging jellyfish. The jellyfish's flesh would have to be solid enough--and they would have to be capturable without harm to them or us--to be tagged in the first place. The researchers in this project designed a special sling to hold sharks while they were tagging them. I'd bet tagging jellyfish is a lot harder. Does anyone know if there's already a tagging system for these slippery critters?
Hi Rob, I agree. I wonder if this robot can track the Box Jellyfish which has been a plague to Australian Beach goers for years? Also, does the torpedoe shape of the robot seem threatening among onlookers, especially the Coast Guard, while it tracks Sand Tiger Sharks? As always, very nice article Ann!
I agree, Elizabeth, there are tons of applications for this type of sea tracking. It would be interesting if there were a widespread effort to tag great whites. That would be the only way to help avoid beach attacks.
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