Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP)
The Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) project aims to interpret migration patterns of large predators and how these animals act and interact in their open-ocean habitats. With new electronic tags, TOPP scientists will follow the migrations of marine fishes, turtles, birds, pinnipeds, whales and Humboldt squid as they crisscross the Pacific basin. The results will answer basic questions about the animals’ biology including where they feed and breed, and what migration corridors they use. By integrating these biological data with available oceanographic information, scientists can also begin to explore how the dynamic ocean environment influences these basic life functions. In addition to providing information about the animals themselves, the data from the tags are invaluable to oceanographers. Environmental data from such tags are accessible through the World Ocean Database, and TOPP’s animal oceanographers can be incorporated into an Ocean Observing System.
For current news and information, please visit the TOPP project website.
TOPP Project Team
Principal Investigator:
Barbara Block, Stanford University, USA
Principal Investigator:
Dan Costa, University of California Santa Cruz, USA
Principal Investigator:
Steven Bograd, NOAA Pacific Fisheries Environmental Laboratory, USA
Project Manager:
Don Kohrs, Stanford University, USA
Reports and Other Documents
TOPP Science Plan (May 2003)
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