Winter 2017

OTN is expanding its glider fleet to include a next-gen Wave Glider and two Slocum gliders thanks to almost $6M from CFI and the Research Nova Scotia Trust. The new additions will help continue work collecting oceanographic information and providing additional tracking and monitoring capacity, oceanographic and animal tracking studies. Read more.

The OTN Annual Symposium took place in Halifax, Oct 17-18. Investigators from the NSERC-supported, pan-Canadian research network summarized their work (some across eight years!) A science communication workshop, tag ethics presentation and data wrap-up were some of the activities that took place during the Symposium. Read more.

The OTN annual report will look a little bit different this year! The Secretariat is aiming for a wrap-up of the eight-year network couched under central OTN themes of “Track,” “Connect,” and “Transform”. Stay tuned for the glossy report in the New Year.

Early December marked the third (and so far final) release of OTN’s collabeeration with Big Spruce Brewing.Tag! You’re It!… the IPA with bite has generated over $10K in financing for research and conservation. Tag! also ranks among the top 10 tastiest beers in Nova Scotia. Partners in Florida got a taste of the action: OTN sponsored FACT’s (Florida Atlantic Coast Telemetry) recent partner workshop in West Palm Beach and brought a couple cases of Tag! to some happy recipients.

Building on the work of OTN/Acadia masters student, Colin Buhariwalla, a new era of tracking studies on the French Kerguelen Islands begins as Xavier Bordeleau (OTN/Dalhousie; left) sets sail for the remote, subtropical lands. Xavier is documenting his three-month journey including studies to understand the successful colonization of brown (sea) trout introduced to the Kerguelen Islands in the 60s. Read Xavier’s first two posts.