Now fish will have their private lives pried into, thanks to scientists, who are using GPS tags to track them underwater.
Until now it has been difficult to track fish with any accuracy. Traditional GPS tags narrow the range to tens of meters, but slow to get a satellite fix, a problem in tough ocean conditions and when an animal surfaces only briefly.
But, a team led by David Sims of UK Marine Biological Association in Plymouth has now been able to attach GPS tags to sunfish, which actually use a system called Fastloc GPS to get a location almost instantly.
According to the scientists, the tags can track fish for long periods because a salt-water switch ensures the power-hungry GPS only switches on when the fish nears surface. The tags are towed 1.5 meters behind the fish, via a tether attached to its dorsal fin, the 'New Scientist' reported.
For their research, the scientists recorded three sunfish covering up to 20 kilometers per day, revealing their foraging patterns in new detail. One fish was tracked for more than 90 days.
“The tags could be used for other species, too, such as tuna, swordfish and sharks. This might make it possible to discover biodiversity hotspots in the open ocean and monitor fish stocks,†Sims said.
The findings have been published in the latest edition of the ‘PLoS One’ journal.
