A Blubber or Dorsal Fin Piercing Tag Attachment System for Remotely-Deployed Cetacean Tags

Animal-borne electronic instruments (tags) are critical tools for monitoring the behavior and ecology of cetaceans, providing data needed for managing their populations and mitigating the threats they face. Although remote-deployment of tags onto cetaceans that cannot be captured has provided valuable data, attachment durations have been frustratingly short and variable. Our Phase II goal is to develop an alternative tag attachment system for remote deployment of tags, onto small- to medium-sized cetaceans, that includes a fully-piercing implanted element with no sharp surfaces and a compliance closer to tissue than the current dart technology. It will also significantly decrease attachment element breakage risk. We propose a truly biocompatible tag attachment element that pierces only blubber or dorsal fin tissue, and a device for remote attachment of the system. We will build upon our Phase I results by refining our fully-piercing tag attachment system design, build prototypes of the full system, including implant elements, the connection to the external tag package, and the apparatus for remote deployment. Critically, in Phase II we will conduct rigorous testing and subsequent design iterations, ultimately allowing us to conclude Phase II with a prototype system that is ready for application to cetaceans, and successful commercialization.