Tracking marine mammals by satellite--Status and technical needs

Faced with exorbitant costs of staging open-ocean experiments and the difficulties of tracking marine mammals, wildlife biolgists are increasingly drawn to satellite technology as a cost-effective means of studying many widely-ranging animals. Development of a small prototype NIMBUS-6 satellite transmitter pack for tracking dolphins has been completed. Many technical needs, such as conversion to the ARGOS or alternative satellite systems and size reduction of the units, remain before satellite tracking can be effectively used to study marine mammals.