MINTAG PROJECT

The MINTAG project aims to develop miniaturized satellite tags that can be used to track the movements and stock structure of lesser-known, under-studied rorquals and pilot whales that are fast swimmers. Previous attempts to tag these species have been limited in duration (weeks) due to the premature rejection of relatively large tags. Tagging these species is particularly challenging due to their high speeds, which make them difficult to approach and properly tag... The MINTAG project has developed the V0c tags, which are based on the V0b tags (tested in 2023), which are specifically designed for fin, minke, and pilot whales in the North Atlantic and North Pacific. The tags and have undergone several modifications since the first prototypes to arrive at the V0c tag design. Nineteen V0b tags were deployed successfully in 2023, and the improved version, 30 V0c tags will be deployed in the summer of 2024.