Equipment loaner program

Supporting Global Aquatic Animal Tracking

To support aquatic animal tracking worldwide and help researchers leverage valuable research funding, the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) offers an equipment loan program for acoustic telemetry studies.

OTN maintains a pool of acoustic receivers available for loan to applicants from academia, government, community or non‑profit organizations, and industry. These equipment loans enable aquatic animal tracking, support cost‑effective research, and help expand OTN’s global, collaborative tracking network, provided they align with OTN’s mission and data‑sharing principles.

Available Equipment

Equipment available for loan includes VR2W, VR2AR, VR2Tx, VR2AR-X, VMT receivers and Ascent releases. OTN has a limited number of receivers that have been updated to Open Protocol.

To determine equipment availability and discuss a potential application, please complete the service request form.
This initial intake form helps ensure your project is well aligned before submitting a formal request.

Following initial screening, applicants will be invited to submit loan application for review*.
Please allow minimum of two months for OTN to review equipment loan requests.

* for requests over 5 units, application will be reviewed by Deployment Committee, consisting of three external reviewers and chaired by the OTN scientific director or delegate.

Confirm deployment timelines and logistics before equipment is shipped.
Sign an Equipment Loan Agreement.

Equipment Loan Program Intake Form

This form is used to request acoustic receivers and related equipment from the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN). Completion of this form does not guarantee a loan. All requests are subject to availability and successful review.

Equipment Loan Form

Acknowledgement guidelines

Required acknowledgement for academic publications

OTN must be recognized in the acknowledgements section of all peer-reviewed publications, reports, theses, and other formal research outputs that make use of OTN infrastructure (e.g., equipment loaner program, data collaborations, and/or related support).

The following wording is recommended:

“The Ocean Tracking Network (OTN), headquartered at Dalhousie University, provided infrastructure, data services, and support that enabled this research. OTN is funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and other partners.”

Acknowledgement in other communications

We welcome opportunities to collaboratively communicate research outcomes resulting from the use of OTN infrastructure. Where feasible and appropriate, please acknowledge OTN’s contributions in project communications and knowledge-sharing materials, including but not limited to:

Project or laboratory websites
Blog posts, online articles, or newsletters
Conference presentations and posters
Printed outreach or educational materials
Media releases or other public-facing communications
Social media posts

Acknowledgement may be provided through text and/or inclusion of the OTN logo, where design and format allow. To download official OTN logo files and learn more about other communications resources, click here.

General inquiries
+1 902 494 4101
otn@dal.ca

Data Centre
otndc@dal.ca

Media Contact
anja.samardzic@dal.ca

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