Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2023)

pp. 69–73

Technical Report (not peer reviewed)

Using satellite-linked tags for studying the feeding ecology of ﬁnwhales in the southern Okhotsk Sea
Kenji Konishi1, * and Lars Kleivane2
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Institute of Cetacean Research, 4–5 Toyomi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104–0055, JapanLKARTS-Norway, 8290 Skutvik, Norway*Contact e-mail: konishi@cetacean.jp

ABSTRACTThis paper reports the tagging of satellite transmi�ers on ﬁn whales in the southern Okhotsk Sea to simultaneously collect data on their diving and movement behaviors during the spring season. This informa�on isessen�al for understanding the feeding ecology of the species. Transdermal and LIMPET-type tags (a�ached tothe ﬁn with anchors) were deployed using a whale-watching boat in spring 2021 and 2022, and two ﬁn whales(one tagged with transdermal and the other with LIMPET) were tracked for 40 and 50 days, respec�vely. The
transdermal tag was deployed with a newly developed tether-type carrier using a pneuma�c air launcher,while the LIMPET tag was deployed with a crossbow. The tracking data revealed that ﬁn whales repeat foraging
in waters shallower than 150 m. This marks the ﬁrst instance of tagging a TDR-installed satellite transmi�er bythe Ins�tute of Cetacean Research.

INTRODUCTION
Understanding the ecology of large whales has beenchallenging owing to their massive size and oﬀshore
distribu�on. In par�cular, informa�on about their longrange movement and diving proﬁles, important forunderstanding their feeding habits, has been diﬃcult
to obtain through tradi�onal techniques such as vessel
observa�ons.
The development of satellite-linked tags has maderemarkable progress in studying the spa�o-temporal distribu�on and diving behavior of baleen whales without
recovering the tags (Ainley et al., 2020; Andrews et al.,2019; Heide-Jørgensen et al., 2001; Mate et al., 2007;
Palacios et al., 2022). These electronic tags can monitor
whale behavior over �me and transmit data via satellitesystems. Tracking records are also valuable for deciphering the mechanisms behind whale distribu�on in speciﬁc
ecosystems, helping us to understand their movement
and feeding behaviors.
The Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (ICR) has been planning satellite-linked biologging experiments since 2015 aspart of the surveys conducted under NEWREP-A (the NewScien�ﬁc Whale Research Program in the Antarc�c Ocean;h�ps://www.jfa.maﬀ.go.jp/j/whale/pdf/151127newrep-a.
pdf). These experiments aim to gain insights into the feeding
behavior and movements of Antarc�c baleen whales. This

non-lethal technique was developed in collabora�on witha Norwegian tagging specialist and has been u�lized in ICR
surveys in both the Antarc�c and western North Paciﬁc.
For successful tracking of whales, the development oftags and suitable tagging equipment is crucial. This paper
provides technical insights into tagging experiments designed to monitor the concurrent movement and diving
behavior of ﬁn whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in thesouthern Okhotsk Sea during the spring season, with theobjec�ve of enhancing our understanding of their feeding
behavior in this region.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Tags
Streamlining the deployment procedure and tag arrangement for each whale species and survey pla�orms is acri�cal aspect for ensuring successful deployments andtracking. In our eﬀorts, we tested a transdermal tag, designed for large whales, with a tether-type carrier using
the pneuma�c air launcher ARTS (Kleivane et al., 2022).
Addi�onally, we introduced the LIMPET-type tag from
Wildlife Computers Inc., a compact tag that can be deployed on the dorsal ﬁn with two anchors inserted into
the whaleʼs body to stabilize the transmi�er. These tags
enable tracking of whales over an extended period compared to recovery-type tags, which usually capture a large
volume of data but over rela�vely short period (Cade69

Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2023)

Figure 3.
Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Research area for the satellite tagging experiments.
Tagging was conducted in the area within 40 nau�cal miles of Abashiri port in the southern Sea ofOkhotsk.

Whale-watching boat “Chipashiri” (4.9 t; 10.45 m).
A safety fence was installed at the bow during thesurvey. The height of bow deck is 130 cm from thewater.

et al., 2023; Friedlaender et al., 2013; Savoca et al., 2021).
Survey area and boat
The tagging experiments took place oﬀ the coastof Abashiri, Hokkaido, in the southern Okhotsk Sea(Figure 1). Recently, ﬁn whales have been observed in
the vicinity of the Abashiri area, enabling us to conduct
experiments using a small boat that can closely approach
the whales. We u�lized the vessel “Chipashiri” (10.45 m)
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Simultaneous shoo�ngs of a tag with ARTSTBC using
LK-ARTS (le�) and a biopsy dart with a crossbow on
the bow of a boat, Chipashiri.

for these tagging experiments and made prepara�ons
for safety, including the installa�on of a safety fence anda small deck at the bow of the boat during the survey(Figure 2). Two highly skilled crew members with exper�se in spo�ng and approaching marine mammals werepresent. In most instances, two shooters were responsible for tagging and conduc�ng biopsy sampling within
the conﬁnes of the safety fence (Figure 3).
Tags and equipment
We deployed two types of tags—a transdermal tag
SPLASH10-302B (300 ∗ 24 mm; 390 g) and a ﬁn mount
LIMPET (Low Impact Minimally Percutaneous ElectronicTransmi�er) tag SPLASH10-F-333 (56 ∗ 50 ∗ 27 mm; 69 g)(Wildlife Computers; Redmond, WA, USA)—on adultsized ﬁn whales during the spring feeding season. Theformer tag has a long ba�ery life and is larger, while
the la�er is a compact GPS posi�oning LIMPET tag withanchors designed to be a�ached to the dorsal ﬁn (www.
wildlifecomputers.com). All experiments oﬀ Abashiri
were approved by Fisheries Agency of Japan under thepermit SUIKAN3-367.
Tagging results
Case1 (transdermal tag SPLASH10-302B)
To launch the transdermal tags, we u�lized a carrier
known as ARTSTBC (the tethered ARTS carrier for Wildlife Computer tags in the 300 series, with simultaneous biopsy sampling), which was developed during theproject (LKARTS-Norway; Figure 4). During the carrierʼsdevelopment, numerous tests were conducted in both
Norway and Japan to enhance deployment procedures
and address safety concerns (Figure 5 and 6). A tag was

Using satellite-linked tags for studying the feeding ecology of fin whales in the southern Okhotsk Sea

Figure 4.

Wildlife Computers SPOT303 SPLASH302B-type tag
connected to ARTSTBC.

Figure 6.

Figure 5.

Test shoo�ng of a dummy tag with ARTSTBC inNorway.

Test of releasing tag from ARTSTBC in the manufacturerʼs laboratory in Japan.

Figure 7.

Transdermal SPLASH10-302B (Wildlife Computers Inc.) tag was deployed at the base of the dorsal ﬁn oﬀ
the coast of Abashiri on May 20, 2021. This picture was taken by a drone.

deployed on a ﬁn whale on 20 May 2021, and trackedun�l 30 June, covering a period of 40 days (Figure 7).
The shoo�ng angle was set at 20 degree with a distanceof 20 m. The ARTS pressure used was 16 bar, and the tag
penetrated to a depth of 4–5 cm anterior to the triangle
stopper. The ARTSTBC was released upon impact during deployment and subsequently recovered. This 2021
deployment marks the ﬁrst use of TDR-installed satellitelinked tags for monitoring loca�on and diving behavior at
the ICR.
Case2 (LIMPET-type SPLASH10-F-333)
To deploy the LIMPET tag, we employed a combina�on ofa 150lb compound crossbow and an arrow-type carrier(Figure 8). These anchors are designed to a�ach securely
to hard ﬁbrous �ssues, such as the dorsal ﬁn. The LIMPET

Figure 8.

A set of SPLASH10-F-333 and its carrier are designed for a crossbow manufactured by WildlifeComputers.

tag was placed beneath the dorsal ﬁn of the ﬁn whale on
May 10, 2022, and tracking was conducted un�l July 29,
covering a period of 50 days (Figure 9).
Diving proﬁles
Fin whales in the southern Okhotsk Sea predominantly
71Technical Reports of the Ins�tute of Cetacean Research (2023)

Figure 9.

Figure 10.

LIMPET-type SPLASH-F-333 (Wildlife Computers Inc.) was a�ached to the dorsal ﬁn of a ﬁn whale oﬀ thecoast of Abashiri on 10 May 2022. The arrow-type carrier is also visible in the image.

Diving proﬁle of the ﬁn whale (PTT ID 54121)
tracked in May–June 2021. The record is depicted
at ten-minute intervals using the Ethographer program (Sakamoto et al., 2009) within the IGOR Pro
6.3.6 so�ware.

feed at water depths shallower than 150 m (Figure 10and 11). However, itʼs worth no�ng that their diving
behaviors exhibit temporal varia�ons on a daily andweekly basis. These tags also recorded posi�onal data
during their transmissions. The data collected from thesetwo data loggers provides a substan�al dataset thatwill enable us to gain a comprehensive understandingof their feeding behaviors. We plan to analyze this datain conjunc�on with environmental informa�on, biopsy
samples, and tracking records from other loca�on-only
tags to elucidate the feeding ecology of ﬁn whales in thestudy area.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank crews of Chipashiri M. Maeda and S. Maeda
and the staﬀ of the Tokyo University of Agriculture, B.
Kobayashi, S. Ikuta, H. Kobayashi, and K. Kikuchi, for their
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Figure 11.

Diving proﬁle of the ﬁn whale (PTT ID 212345)
tracked in June and July 2022. The record is plo�edat ten-minute intervals.

assistance during the ﬁeld works. Thanks are also due toT. Isoda (ICR) for his par�cipa�on to the ﬁeld work andT. Tamura (ICR) for his useful sugges�ons. We also thankLuis A. Pastene for his assistance in preparing this report
and the Editorial Team of TEREP-ICR for the editorial work .

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