背景:声学遥测已成为监测水生物种运动的基本工具。技术的进步,特别是寿命>10年的电池的发展,增强了我们追踪许多物种长期运动模式的能力。然而,后勤和财政限制通常决定了声学接收器的位置和部署持续时间。因此,在最佳阵列设计和可负担性之间往往存在折衷。这种限制可能会阻碍在大的空间和时间尺度上跟踪海洋动物的能力。大陆尺度的接收器网络提高了研究大规模运动的能力,但覆盖面往往仍然存在显著差距。
方法:自2007年以来,综合海洋观测系统的动物跟踪设施(IMOSATF)在澳大利亚东部沿海地区保持了永久性接收器装置。在这项研究中,我们介绍了昆士兰州IMOSATF声学跟踪基础设施的最新改进,以收集国家阵列东北部海洋物种大规模移动的数据。确保在昆士兰州扩大接收器部署和标记活动的相对较小的初始投资是催化剂,汇集了不同的利益相关者群体(研究机构,大学,政府部门,港口公司,工业,土著护林员团体和旅游运营商)创建一个广泛的协作网络,该网络可以在未来维持扩展的接收器覆盖范围。为了填补现有安装之间的空白,并最大限度地扩大监控范围,新举措具有非典型的设计,部署许多单一接收器分布在2,100公里的昆士兰州水域。
结果:该方法揭示了某些物种以前未知的大规模运动,并强调并不总是需要接收器集群来增强数据收集。然而,当接收器丢失或故障时,主要使用单接收器部署的阵列设计更容易受到数据间隙的影响,因此,在设计这种类型的阵列时,“冗余”是一个关键的考虑因素。
结论:初步结果表明,我们的阵列增强,如果持续多年,将揭示一系列以前未知的运动,这些运动将有助于解决生态问题,渔业,以及多种物种的保护问题。
BACKGROUND: Acoustic telemetry has become a fundamental tool to monitor the movement of aquatic species. Advances in technology, in particular the development of batteries with lives of > 10 years, have increased our ability to track the long-term movement patterns of many species. However, logistics and financial constraints often dictate the locations and deployment duration of acoustic receivers. Consequently, there is often a compromise between optimal array design and affordability. Such constraints can hinder the ability to track marine animals over large spatial and temporal scales. Continental-scale receiver networks have increased the ability to study large-scale movements, but significant gaps in coverage often remain.
METHODS: Since 2007, the Integrated Marine Observing System\'s Animal Tracking Facility (IMOS ATF) has maintained permanent receiver installations on the eastern Australian seaboard. In this study, we present the recent enhancement of the IMOS ATF acoustic tracking infrastructure in Queensland to collect data on large-scale movements of marine species in the northeast extent of the national array. Securing a relatively small initial investment for expanding receiver deployment and tagging activities in Queensland served as a catalyst, bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders (research institutes, universities, government departments, port corporations, industries, Indigenous ranger groups and tourism operators) to create an extensive collaborative network that could sustain the extended receiver coverage into the future. To fill gaps between existing installations and maximise the monitoring footprint, the new initiative has an atypical design, deploying many single receivers spread across 2,100 km of Queensland waters.
RESULTS: The approach revealed previously unknown broad-scale movements for some species and highlights that clusters of receivers are not always required to enhance data collection. However, array designs using predominantly single receiver deployments are more vulnerable to data gaps when receivers are lost or fail, and therefore \"redundancy\" is a critical consideration when designing this type of array.
CONCLUSIONS: Initial results suggest that our array enhancement, if sustained over many years, will uncover a range of previously unknown movements that will assist in addressing ecological, fisheries, and conservation questions for multiple species.