A review of large marine animal tracking methodologies, discoveries, and applications

Many marine species spend the majority of their lives far from shore, making it challenging to study them. The advent of satellite tracking tags and subsequent technological improvements in the field has provided a means of gathering high resolution data on the movement, behavior, and environmental conditions of a number of large marine animal species. This literature review analyzes ten marine animal tracking studies. The goal of this review was to answer the following question: “What research questions can tracking studies answer, and how can the data from such studies be applied to marine conservation efforts?” First discussed are an array of tracking methods, the limitations of those methods, and innovations that have resulted from those limits. Next, I share several discoveries made with the data from these studies, including migration routes, seasonal habits, and behavior in response to human presence. Lastly, this review breaks down how data from marine animal tracking studies can shape and inform future research and policy, including its application to a pressing local conservation issue in the Salish Sea. Marine wildlife tracking enables the gathering of diverse data on a large number of species, while reducing the human impact of marine research efforts. As such, it is an incredibly valuable tool to the field of marine biology.