Grant: Strategic Network Grants Program

Fish stocks have been vastly depleted worldwide, with many species driven to commercial extinction. It is estimated that the world has seen a 90 percent drop in the population of large oceanic fish since the 1950s. Led by Dalhousie University, an international research and technology development consortium, the global Ocean Tracking Network (OTN Global), aims to revolutionize the way oceans are observed and understood, and thereby contribute to more sustainable use of the oceans. The Canadian Ocean Tracking Network (OTN Canada) is the initiation of a 7-year integrative research program, in partnership primarily with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, but also with other supporting and partnering academic, government, conservation, and private organizations across Canada, which will use OTN Global technologies and infrastructure (acousticand satellite-linked tags, fixed and mobile acoustic receivers) to better understand continental shelf and open ocean ecosystems through cutting-edge research, to understand the nature of changes in marine ecosystems across Canada, and contribute to global observation of coastal and oceanic ecosystems. A primary objective is to foster synergy among Canadian participants, as well as potential international partners. OTN Canada will use new and innovative technologies in the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific Ocean ""Arenas"" to address important questions and test hypotheses concerning ocean physics and modeling, animal movement and ecology, and the impacts of climate variability and change on ocean ecosystems. Not only will OTN Canada be the research hul of OTN Global, it will serve as a testing ground for international OTN partners in areas of technology development, data handling, modeling, development of analytical tools, training of highly qualified personnel,and partnership models with industry, governments, and communities. The overarching goals of OTN Canada will be the integration of research strategies, programs, and results across Arenas with the fundamental aim of addressing critical issues in fisheries and resource management and implications for ocean governance.