The Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) team based at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada recently retrieved 4 years’ worth of valuable data from 21 moorings deployed near the entrance to Maxwell Bay, Devon Island, in the Lancaster Sound. These moorings, located in the Canadian high arctic were deployed in September 2011 and had collected valuable marine life information through the use of fish tags and receivers. An essential part of each mooring was the EdgeTech PORT MFE long-life acoustic release.
Attempts were made for several years to reach the location and recover the equipment but the team was repeatedly turned away by unfavorable ice conditions. Concern was growing as the years passed by and the opportunities for recovery diminished. Happily, researchers aboard the experimental fisheries vessel Kiviuq I reached the location in September of this year and recovered 100% of the valuable equipment and data. The EdgeTech PORT MFE acoustic releases worked flawlessly even after the very long deployment. As one of the OTN team members readily pointed out, “this is a further testament to the reliability of the EdgeTech family of acoustic releases.”
