Global initiative to coordinate and integrate marine megafauna data in the ocean observing toolkit
Abstract
The widespread uptake of telemetry techniques for the study of marine animals means that tracking datasets needed to understand movement now extend across all ocean basins and a large range of animals. These include many highly migratory marine megafauna species, such as whales, sharks, turtles and seals, with many having a threatened conservation status (e.g., Vulnerable or Endangered) according to the Red List by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Increasing anthropogenic activities, such as overharvesting, by-catch mortality, pollution, acoustic and habitat degradation are furthering impacts that lead to continued declines in abundance of many marine megafauna, and international agreements for conservation, especially in the high seas in areas beyond national jurisdictions, are urgently needed. The many tens of 1000s of marine megafauna tracks that now exist are invaluable to assist evidence-based conservation of the charismatic and iconic marine megafauna. While national collaborative research initiatives such as the Tagging of the Pacific Predators (TOPP; www.gtopp.org/) and online repositories, such as the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN; oceantrackingnetwork.org/) and Movebank (www.movebank.org/) already exist and amass large quantities of tracking data, it is now timely to compile a global dataset through a collaborative approach with researchers working across the globe. Such global dataset will allow the identification and strategic targeting of critical gap areas in the global ocean marine megafauna tracking, and will serve as basis to develop new tools for analyzing large tracking datasets and for assessing global threats to these species. Development of such global mechanism to bring tracking data together will require strategic development to accommodate stewardship for data and information storage, with clearly outlined governance, appropriate resourcing, and defined pathways for implementation, including: (i) adoption of agreed standards for reporting and documenting of data (including standardization of metadata); (ii) requirements for open access to data; (iii) guarantee of uniqueness of datasets (e.g. through a unique digital object identifier) to avoid data replication, and (iv) networking of existing or developing databases in support of global initiative.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 20, 2019
- Source ID
- N000141912573
Entities
People
- Ana Sequeira
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Western Australia