Global Tagging of Pacific Predators

By making this information available to scientists worldwide, GTOPP vastly increases knowledge about a largely unexplored area of the planet. It also helps provide data that helps policy makers and resource managers make wise decisions about ocean use.

GTOPP is an international, multidisciplinary collaboration among biologists, engineers, computer scientists and educators. Thanks to the Google interface, any site visitor can view and interact with animal tracking and oceanographic data.

New Insights

GTOPP tracks highly migratory species including sharks, tunas, seals, sea lions, seabirds and whales. GTOPP builds on the accomplishments of the Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) program, one of the original field research projects of the global Census of Marine Life, a 10-year initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution and abundance of life in the oceans. At its conclusion, the TOPP program successfully deployed more than 4,300 electronic tags on 23 different species of animals in the Pacific. These tags recorded more than 265,000 days of data, helping scientists to see where the "ocean hot spots" are in the Pacific, and yielding new insights into the forces that shape them.

By learning where tuna and other species congregate, and what oceanographic factors affect them, scientists can begin to develop methods to manage the animal populations effectively, ensuring their recovery and long-term survival.

Learn more in our Research and Conservation Report