Aug. 23, 2013 — How do you track a fish? There's no "Google Maps" for finding fish. The radio signals that are the backbone of traditional GPS cannot pass through seawater. But sound travels remarkably well, so scientists often use acoustic telemetry to estimate an individual fish's location. That means attaching an acoustic transmitter to a fish and then using a network of stationary underwater listening stations to monitor for the short clicking sounds that these tags emit. When a fish swims near to a receiver, its click is heard, and its individual code number is recorded.
Knowing your uncertainty
Even with this clicker-listener observation network in place, though, there's much uncertainty about a fish's whereabouts at any given time. To date, most researchers have used ad hoc methods to analyze their data, and typically have not quantified uncertainty.
"In science, knowing how certain or uncertain you are is often the prime objective," said Kevin C. Weng, manager of the Pelagic Fisheries Research Program at the University of Hawai'i at M
Knowing your uncertainty
Even with this clicker-listener observation network in place, though, there's much uncertainty about a fish's whereabouts at any given time. To date, most researchers have used ad hoc methods to analyze their data, and typically have not quantified uncertainty.
"In science, knowing how certain or uncertain you are is often the prime objective," said Kevin C. Weng, manager of the Pelagic Fisheries Research Program at the University of Hawai'i at M