First pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) tagged in southern Madeira with a commercial satellite tag in the framework of the INTERTAGUA project

A team of marine mammal biologists from the Interactive Aquatic Interfaces Project for the Detection and Visualization of Atlantic Marine Megafauna and Vessels in Macaronesia using Radio Tags (INTERTAGUA) has placed a commercial satellite tag on the fin of a pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus ) in the southern waters of Madeira.

This satellite tracking tag, in addition to providing relevant information on the ecology of these animals, will be a benchmark that will allow the comparison with the performance and validation of the sensors that are currently being developed within the framework of the project, that will be ready within a year.

The INTERTAGUA project aims to research, develop and test innovative technologies to foster the social and economic potential of the Macaronesian oceans and coastal areas. It is a project coordinated by PLOCAN, in which, institutes from Azores, Cape Verde, the Canary Islands and Madeira participate as partners.

The project is distinguished by the incorporation of biodiversity and the hundreds of species that inhabit these regions or that migrate to the limits of the Atlantic. It is intended to exploit the potential of living systems themselves to use emerging low-cost technologies to monitor ecosystems. The project is based on the symbiotic development between cyber-physical and ecological systems seeking to transform Macaronesia into a unique laboratory for collaboration in the field of biodiversity, climate change, engineering, and design.

The role of PLOCAN is the coordination of the pilot tests of radio transmission tags that are being developed by ARDITI / ITI-LARSys. These pilot tests will be carried out in different boats and autonomous vehicles, in turtles, seals and cetaceans. This objective will be achieved through the application of sensor, communication, and monitoring technologies to enable conscious, voluntary and informed citizen participation in collaborative scientific activities in the field of the blue economy.

The INTERTAGUA project is co-financed by the INTERREG Spain-Portugal Territorial Cooperation Program (MAC 2014-2020) / Cross-Border Cooperation through the priority axis “Enhancing research, technological development and innovation”.

             


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