Acoustic tagging
Acoustic tracking uses sound waves emitted by implanted tags to track the location of fish when it is located near a receiver.
Receivers that have detected striped bass tagged by SBI
Surgery to implant acoustic tag
Acoustic tag
SBI has been tagging striped bass with acoustic telemetry tags since 2018.Â
Â
​
Migratory movements are tracked via the ACT Network, a cooperative network of acoustic telemetry receivers along the east coast.
Pop-up Satellite Tags
PSAT tags archive depth, temperature, light, and location estimate data.
Â
Tags are programmed to "pop-up" from the fish at a set date and transmit stored data via satellite.
Â
This provides continuous records over vast distances outside acoustic receiver areas.
Unprecidented insights
SBI has tracked the entire migration of 10 striped bass from Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Our insights include:
→ Extensive pelagic movements beyond acoustic telemetry network
​
→ Depth and vertical movements
​
→ Activity levels that allow insights into energy demands
Location likelihoods across a striped bass migration
Second-to-second behavior tracking
Activity
Temperature
Depth
Striped bass are caught, sedated, and PSAT tags are applied through the musculature, just below the dorsal fin. All protocols approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).Â
Every 5 second archived depth, temperature, and activity data across ~10 month migration allows us to answer pertinent management questions about striped bass behavior and energy use.
SPOT (Smart POsition and Temperature Tag) tags are satellite-linked devices that provide high-precision location data.
Â
Unlike archival tags or acoustic telemetry, SPOT tags communicate with satellites each time the tagged fish surfaces, allowing us to record exact positions in near real-time.