Research Projects >Testing of a New Flat RF ID Tag and its Base Station for Steller Sea Lions

Testing of a New Flat RF ID Tag and its Base Station for Steller Sea Lions

A new implantable (just under the skin) radio frequency Id tag and its base station will be developed to monitor the movements and survivorship of young Steller sea lion pups – the age class thought to be at greatest risk.

Steller sea lions have been declining in the Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska since the late 1970s and are listed as an endangered species in the United States. Radio tags would help to determine why they are declining by monitoring the movements and survivorship of the young pups – the age class thought to be at greatest risk. The timing of dispersal from rookeries and the dispersal patterns of pups are not known, and without this data, the leading hypotheses concerning the decline of Steller sea lions cannot be completely tested.

Unfortunately, radio tags glued to the fur of pinnipeds fall off when the animals molt or if the hairs break. The only theoretical means of electronically monitoring an immature individual pinniped for three years is to place a tag under its skin. Many existing implantable radio frequency (RF) tags are large and surgically invasive for pups, or of limited life span.

Project Outline:
This research group is designing a new electronic tracking tag that can be placed under the skin. The current RF Id tag has the following criteria: long-range (1-3 km), 4-6 mm thick by 3.5 cm x 6.5 cm, and longevity of three years. A base station that can record the presence and absence of sea lions is also being developed.

This study will employ system-on-a -chip technology to further reduce the tag size. The performance of the new RF tag will also be deployed in young domestic and wild animals, and will be tested using the newly developed base station and link budget model. These new technologies, once validated in the laboratory, can be later used near sea lion haulouts and rookeries.

Principle Investigators:
Royann Petrell, (Director), University of British Columbia
William Dunford, University of British Columbia
Shahriar Mirabbasi, University of British Columbia
David Michelson, University of British Columbia
Andrew W. Trites, University of British Columbia
Rodney Vaughan, Simon Fraser University

Funding Source:
NOAA and the North Pacific Marine Science Foundation