Research conducted by Dr. Natalia Botero-Acosta, Postdoctoral Researcher, Ocean Sciences, UC Santa Cruz / General Director, Macuáticos Foundation Colombia
Satellite tags are used to monitor the movements of whales. Researchers launch the satellite tags using an air gun. The metal tag anchors into the animal’s blubber where it can remain for several months, giving researchers a valuable insight into the animal’s movement patterns over time. The tags transmit location information multiple times per day when the tagged animals surface to breathe.
The video below visualizes the data from two different satellite tagging operations in Monterey Bay: one in spring 2024 to analyze feeding season patterns, and one in fall 2024 to track migration patterns to Mexico.
Monterey Bay, Spring 2024
Satellite tags were deployed in April 2024 to track the foraging and feeding patterns of five humpback whales. These patterns varied considerably. Some whales traveled great distances, while others remained in one small area; some stayed near the coast, while others migrated far offshore. One clear pattern emerged: foraging and feeding occur primarily in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, a federally protected marine area along California’s central coast that prohibits activities like oil drilling, ocean dumping, and seabed mining within its boundaries. However, overlaying this with ship traffic data gathered by NOAA shows that some whales are feeding in heavily trafficked areas, raising concerns about ship strikes and noise pollution.
Monterey Bay to Mexico, Fall 2024
A second set of satellite tags was deployed in October to map the migration route of six humpback whales to their breeding grounds in central Mexico. In contrast to their feeding, when migrating, the whales follow a fairly uniform path, moving swiftly down the coast to the breeding grounds.
This information collected through satellite tagging is being used to determine how fishing activities, shipping lanes, and chemical outpouring from agriculture could impact these whales during migrations. The data about when and how whales navigate areas like the Port of LA- Long Beach, which has one of the highest incidences of ship strikes, can inform marine area management and aid in the establishment of new marine sanctuaries.
