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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · 1d

🚀 Big win for marine tracking!

TwinTrack took 🥇 at #BlueCloudHackathon2025 with “The Digital Twin of the Ocean meets Animal Movement” — predicting fish movements in the North Sea using skate tracks + env data 🌊

Proud moment for the tracking community & a big step for smarter ocean management 🌍✨

European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · 5d

Learn more about ISRAs here: www.sharkrayareas.org

An interactive map of the 124 ISRAs can be found here: sharkrayareas.org/e-atlas/

📷: AdobeStock

Important Shark and Ray Areas - a IUCN/SSC SSG project

Important Shark and Ray Areas are discrete, tri-dimensional portions of habitat, important for one or more shark species

www.sharkrayareas.org

European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · 5d

Areas were also identified based on their distinctiveness, for example where a species displays a unique behaviour, or if they supported a high diversity of elasmobranchs.

Important Shark and Ray Areas - a IUCN/SSC SSG project

Important Shark and Ray Areas are discrete, tri-dimensional portions of habitat, important for one or more shark species

www.sharkrayareas.org

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · 5d

ISRAs identify portions of habitat that are important to one or more elasmobranch species. Examples of this are areas where vulnerable or range-restricted species occur, areas for reproduction, feeding, resting, or where individuals aggregate.

Important Shark and Ray Areas - a IUCN/SSC SSG project

Important Shark and Ray Areas are discrete, tri-dimensional portions of habitat, important for one or more shark species

www.sharkrayareas.org

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · 5d

Recently, 124 Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) were delineated for the European Atlantic 🦈
This effort had data contributions from 214 researchers, including ETN members! Many of these ISRAs were partially/ompletely supported with telemetry data, underscoring the importance of this information.

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · 18d

EU-funded position available at Inland Fisheries Ireland focusing on bown trout populations of Lough Melvin! Acoustic telemetry field work, data analysis and publishing are key components of the job.
Apply until October 10th: inlandfisheriesireland.recruitee.com/o/project-su...
#trackingnotslacking

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

lnkd.in

European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · 22d

𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫
Jena Edwards just finished her PhD at Wageningen University (congrats!) and is now working as a postdoctoral researcher with the Ocean Tracking Network in Halifax, Canada.
We wish you all the best for your new chapter, Jena!

#trackingnotslacking

European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · 22d

Jena: "Since it is the first study of this kind in that area, there are more questions than answers. For example: we have a gap in acoustic detections between Jan - Feb, which is the mullets’ assumed spawning period. So the question remains: where do the mullets spawn?”

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · 22d

🐟 And what did you find out?
Jena: “From the data we collected, thinlip grey mullet appear to be more resilient to freshwater than thicklip grey mullet, because we detected one thinlip individual in Lake IJssel.

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · 22d

🐟 What was challenging?
Jena: “Mullets are feisty—they almost jumped out of their holding tank several times! Also, finding mullets was challenging. Especially thinlip grey mullet showed large individual differences in movement behaviour, so drawing general conclusions is challenging.”

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · 22d

🐟 How did you study the mullets’ movements?
Jena: “In 2021 and 2022, we tagged 122 thicklip and thinlip grey mullets, of which 86 individuals were detected by the extensive network of acoustic receivers maintained in the Dutch North Sea and Wadden Sea.”

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · 22d

🐟 Why mullets?
Jena: “Mullets have drastically declined in recent years in the Dutch North Sea (the fishery is basically closed now), so we wondered if the Wadden Sea might play a role in the Mullets’ decline?”

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · 22d

🐟 Why the Wadden Sea?
Jena: “In contrast to migratory birds, it remains unclear if—or how—the unique ecosystem of the Wadden Sea is used by migratory fish.”

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · 22d

✨ First ETN study highlight! ✨
We’re excited to share the story behind Edwards 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭., 2025 — the 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 study investigating mullets (Mugilidae) in the Wadden Sea. 🐟🌊

👉 Dive into the behind-the-scenes Q&A with Jena Edwards below!
🔗 Paper: doi.org/10.1186/s404...

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · Sep 4

A total of 80 receivers, deployed across 2 lines will help us uncover what's happening beneath the waves in the biggest inland sea of the world: 40 acoustic receivers on the seabed in a line between Sweden and Finland, and another 40 in a line across the Sea of Åland. 🌊✨

#BalticSeaTrackingNetwork

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · Sep 4

FINALLY! 🥳

A Baltic Sea Tracking Network is on the way!! Thanks in part to a receiver loan from @oceantracking.bsky.social members of ETN based at SLU & LUKE (Finland) have deployed what we hope is just the beginning 💪

You can find out more about the project here: tinyurl.com/yc5nhxr5

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences launches large-scale fish tracking – aiming to provide new insights about fish in the Baltic Sea

SLU has deployed 80 acoustic receivers along two lines in the Baltic Sea. By listening for signals from tagged fish, the receivers will reveal migration routes and uncover new insights on life beneath...

tinyurl.com

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · Aug 27

As you can see, things are complakeated, but researchers from all over the world are working to keep lakes thriving.

#TrackingNotSlacking #AquaticTelemetry #WorldLakeDay

European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · Aug 27

These threats are accentuated by the fragmented nature of these habitats, since lakes are spread out in separate basins, and the smaller size of animal populations compared with those in the marine environment. As a result, 1 in every 4freshwater species is thought to be threatened with extinction.

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · Aug 27

However, these ecologically and economically important environments and the species inhabiting them are under severe anthropogenic pressures from pollution, invasive species, agriculture, construction (e.g., dams), and water extraction.

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · Aug 27

Although lakes hold around 1.3% of the world’s total water, they represent 87% of global liquid freshwater (not including ice) and as such are an invaluable water source for humans.

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · Aug 27

Similarly, an important part of the research on the critically endangered European eel (Anguilla anguilla), a member of the third most tagged family by the ETN, is also done in lakes. Other notable species include the northern pike (Esox lucius) and the common carp (Cyprinus carpio).

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · Aug 27

Many species are studied in lakes using acoustic telemetry, for example, several species of salmonids (e.g., Salmo spp.). In fact, the Salmonidae family is the most tagged by ETN scientists in terms of number of individuals!

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · Aug 27

ETN researchers study fish movement in lakes in several countries such as Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Poland. Across the pond in North America, our friends at the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS) also conduct lots of research!

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European Tracking Network @aquatictracking.bsky.social · Aug 27

Happy World Lake Day!

We post a lot of marine telemetry research, but did you know that a lot is done in lakes too?

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Reposted by European Tracking Network

Johann Mourier @sharkmourier.bsky.social · Aug 23

New paper introducing the term of SUPER HABITAT for sharks in which all critical activities (resting, feeding, mating & giving birth) occurs.
🦈🌴❤️🍽️ 👶
Access the paper here:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@dr-yannis.bsky.social @charlie-huveneers.bsky.social

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