divided into six major categones: 1) transmitter attachment; 2) transmitter performance; 

 3) locations and movements with an analysis of location depths, dive depths, and 

 traveling speeds; 4) diving behavior including number of dives, dive durations, time spent 

 submerged and surface resting behavior; 5) the relation of speed and respiration 

 parameters; and 6) oceanographic factors including structures such as fronts, eddies and 

 upwellings detected from sea surface temperature images and temperatures reported by 

 the tag itself. A conclusion section discusses the major results of the study and is 

 followed by a list of recommendations including tag modifications proposed for the 

 bowhead whale study. 



The Minerals Management Service contract allowed Oregon State University 

 (OSU) to develop a surface-mounted tag (barnacle style) and/or an implantable tag 

 (capsule style). Until recently, battery and transmitter size constraints made an 

 implantable tag unlikely, therefore, our efforts were focused on surface-attached tags 

 (Task A). 



METHODS 



The 1989 - 1990 study area is shown in Figure 1. The Right Whale Consortium 

 sighting histories of all tagged whales may be examined in Appendix C. All of the * 

 movements summarized in this report were by animals which were tagged immediately 

 east of Grand Manan Island in the central Bay of Fundy. A graphic information system 

 (CAMRIS) was used to produce most maps in this report. 



The Argos Data Collection System 



The Argos Data Collection and Location System (ADCLS) was used to track 

 tagged whales during this study (see Mate and Harvey, 1982). It is the only truly remote 

 (monitoring) system available to civilians which can locate transmitters by satellite. 

 Argos transmitters, or "platform transmitting terminals" (PTTs), have individual 

 identification codes and a minimum repetition rate of 60 seconds; we obtained special 

 permission to increase our repetition rate to 40 seconds. Each PTT transmits at 401.650 

 Mhz and is located by Doppler shift. PTT messages can contain up to 256 bits of sensor 

 data, although our messages contained only 64 bits to conserve power. 



Argos receivers are on board National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

 (NOAA) sun-synchronous, polar-orbiting, TIROS-N weather satellites. Each satellite has 

 four ARGOS receivers and is capable of monitoring up to 415 PTTs in a specific area. 

 Because of the polar orbit, the number of orbits (passes) overhead varies by latitude. 

 There are 28 orbits/day for latitudes greater than 75° and as few as six orbits/day along 

 the equator (Figure 2). PTTs can only send information to the satellite when it is 

 overhead. From a fixed point on earth, the satellites move from horizon to horizon in 8 - 



