Research Technical Report

U.S. West Coast SCCOOS-CeNCOOS-NANOOS ATN-MBON-OTN Biological Observations Workshop Summary Report: Identifying Regional Needs and Priorities for Animal Telemetry and Biodiversity Observations of Aquatic Species

Integrated Ocean Observing System (December 2020)

Animal Telemetry Network Workshop Summary Report, 7-9 November 2018, Santa Cruz, California. 52pp.

WORKSHOP OUTLINE

This is is one in a series of U.S. regional workshops being convened to identify priority stakeholder needs for regional telemetry, biodiversity, and other types of observations of aquatic species that could be served by an Animal Telemetry Network (ATN)/ Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON)/Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) baseline network and to examine whether the type and extent of existing telemetry and biodiversity observing assets could adequately satisfy these requirements.

The three U.S. IOOS West Coast Regional Associations, NANOOS (Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems), CeNCOOS (Central and Northern California Ocean Observing System), and SCCOOS (Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System), partnered with the U.S. ATN, the U.S. MBON, and the Canadian OTN to convene a regional stakeholder workshop in Santa Cruz, California on November 7–9, 2018. More than 100 participants from multiple agencies and organizations, including NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), the U.S. Navy, BOEM (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management), Monterey Bay Aquarium, Point Blue Conservation Science, Consortium for Ocean Leadership, Monterey Bay Whale Watch, Ocean Science Analytics, multiple state agencies and universities, and more worked together over three days to address these four objectives:

Objective I. Identify and prioritize stakeholder marine animal telemetry and biodiversity monitoring and observational needs in the West Coast Region.

Objective II. Identify the existing telemetry and biodiversity observing assets and scientific capabilities in the region.

Objective III. Document regional stakeholder specific uses of marine animal telemetry and biodiversity data.

Objective IV. Identify infrastructure and data management challenges and opportunities that exist in the region.

Forty-three speakers covered topics that provided perspectives from the resource management, commercial and research communities