The bioprobe project advanced the concept of ‘animals as oceanographers’ by outfitting large aquatic predators with receiver and transceiver units. Animals outfitted with this specialized combination of tags allow researchers to collect biological and oceanographic data while tracking interactions between predators  and other tagged species.  

Beginning in 2009, and working closely with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) and Dalhousie University, researchers equipped seals with satellite-GPS tags (recording transiting and diving), environmental sensors (measuring oceanographic characteristics), Vemco Mobile Transceivers (VMTs) (transmitting acoustic signals and logging detections from other tagged animals) and accelerometer tags (OTN project 4.3) measuring fine-scale jaw movement. Animal-borne cameras were used for short periods to validate consumption of specific prey.

This long-term monitoring program documented how seasonal oceanographic features like temperature, phytoplankton biomass, and depth influenced seal movement, as well as the links between environmental change and impact on top marine predators. 

Data was retrieved from 104 seals tagged on Sable Island and from an additional 18 seals deployed with specially developed Bluetooth-enabled tags in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. In addition, acoustic tags were implanted in more than 1,200 Atlantic cod over the same period.

Data helped elucidate interactions of tagged individuals with other seals, among seals and other tagged species of potential prey (cod, salmon, eel, snow crab, lobster), and amongseals and competing predators (tuna, sharks). For instance, encounters between seals and tagged cod did not record predation events but suggested co-occurrence in ocean ‘hotspots’—areas of high productivity where many species forage. 

This project also helped advance analytical methods, including modelling and visualization tools for OTN data (OTN project 4.8). 

A better understanding of the relationships between top predators and potential prey is critical for effective policy decisions and resource management.