WhaleNet/Harbor Porpoise Data

WhaleNet STOP Data
Harbor Porpoise
Duke University
Marine Lab

Sighting Data for "Otis" and "Bjorn".

Harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) tagged and released in August and September, 1997 in Maine by researchers with the Duke University Marine Lab.

PTT-97-02 "Otis"

Argos Number: 16291
Sex: Male
Length: 146.5 cm
Mass: 48 kg
Released on 9 August 1997

PTT-97-05 "Bjorn"

Argos Number: 24848
Sex: Male
Length: 148 cm
Mass: 53 kg
Released on 2 September 1997

Satellite Fixes

Data Format key:
Date (dd.mm.yy): 22.08.96 23:06:55 Time (hr:min:sec)(in GMT), LC (fix quality)

LC just stands for Location Class. Location Classes of 0 and up are the best (derived from 4 or more messages)- a Class 0 is good to within between 1,000 and 5,000 meters. Classes 1,2,3- get consistently more accurate. The letter classes are given no estimate of error, but the A's are better than the B's etc. It appears that some of the letter class locations are pretty good (i.e. several fixes over a short period are quite similar), but then others vary wildly- especially the longitude.

> Lat1: 48.275N [latitude] Lon1: 69.232W [longitude]

"Otis" Data, Tag # 16291
Preliminary Data

16291 Date : 29.09.97 17:21:33 LC : 2
Lat1 : 44.619N Lon1 : 66.348W

16291 Date : 30.09.97 18:51:10 LC : 1
Lat1 : 44.591N Lon1 : 66.343W

16291 Date : 01.10.97 18:38:59 LC : A
Lat1 : 44.480N Lon1 : 66.235W

16291 Date : 03.10.97 16:38:22 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.817N Lon1 : 66.220W

16291 Date : 07.10.97 19:15:48 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.814N Lon1 : 66.570W

16291 Date : 09.10.97 18:55:02 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.845N Lon1 : 66.340W

16291 Date : 11.10.97 18:28:30 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.699N Lon1 : 67.988W

16291 Date : 12.10.97 21:18:54 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.534N Lon1 : 66.361W

16291 Date : 13.10.97 16:29:30 LC : 0
Lat1 : 45.031N Lon1 : 66.187W

16291 Date : 14.10.97 17:57:48 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.909N Lon1 : 66.033W

16291 Date : 15.10.97 16:07:38 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.869N Lon1 : 65.755W

16291 Date : 16.10.97 17:32:18 LC : 0
Lat1 : 45.113N Lon1 : 66.085W

16291 Date : 17.10.97 17:26:07 LC : 0
Lat1 : 45.048N Lon1 : 66.133W

16291 Date : 18.10.97 18:54:25 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.615N Lon1 : 65.942W

16291 Date : 19.10.97 17:02:15 LC : 0
Lat1 : 45.114N Lon1 : 66.312W

16291 Date : 20.10.97 18:34:32 LC : 1
Lat1 : 44.701N Lon1 : 66.495W

16291 Date : 21.10.97 18:21:34 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.764N Lon1 : 65.861W

16291 Date : 22.10.97 16:29:59 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.895N Lon1 : 66.165W

16291 Date : 23.10.97 20:37:27 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.634N Lon1 : 66.277W

16291 Date : 27.10.97 18:56:47 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.402N Lon1 : 67.857W

16291 Date : 28.10.97 17:06:53 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.016N Lon1 : 67.206W

16291 Date : 29.10.97 16:53:54 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.072N Lon1 : 67.917W

16291 Date : 30.10.97 21:23:57 LC : 0
Lat1 : 43.879N Lon1 : 68.023W

16291 Date : 31.10.97 19:53:51 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.188N Lon1 : 67.977W

16291 Date : 01.11.97 19:43:33 LC : 0
Lat2 : 44.026N Lon2 : 67.774W

16291 Date : 02.11.97 17:50:50 LC : 0
Lat1 : 43.800N Lon1 : 67.773W

16291 Date : 03.11.97 19:22:45 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.170N Lon1 : 67.840W

16291 Date : 04.11.97 17:27:47 LC : 0
Lat1 : 43.960N Lon1 : 67.657W

16291 Date : 05.11.97 17:19:02 LC : 0
Lat1 : 43.969N Lon1 : 68.150W

16291 Date : 06.11.97 18:46:15 LC : 0
Lat1 : 44.005N Lon1 : 68.718W

16291 Date : 08.11.97 20:06:35 LC : 0
Lat1 : 43.512N Lon1 : 68.900W

16291 Date : 09.11.97 19:51:34 LC : A
Lat1 : 43.336N Lon1 : 68.701W

16291 Date : 10.11.97 20:41:36 LC : 1
Lat1 : 43.327N Lon1 : 68.689W

16291 Date : 11.11.97 20:20:13 LC : 1
Lat1 : 43.350N Lon1 : 68.868W

16291 Date : 12.11.97 17:40:43 LC : 2
Lat1 : 43.379N Lon1 : 69.024W

16291 Date : 13.11.97 19:11:06 LC : 0
Lat1 : 43.230N Lon1 : 69.058W

16291 Date : 14.11.97 17:18:57 LC : 0
Lat1 : 43.296N Lon1 : 69.041W

16291 Date : 15.11.97 17:08:07 LC : 0
Lat1 : 42.809N Lon1 : 68.876W

16291 Date : 16.11.97 18:36:26 LC : 0
Lat1 : 43.235N Lon1 : 68.575W

16291 Date : 17.11.97 16:46:41 LC : 0
Lat1 : 43.370N Lon1 : 69.502W

16291 Date : 19.11.97 19:46:16 LC : 0
Lat1 : 42.739N Lon1 : 68.908W

16291 Date : 21.11.97 19:24:27 LC : 0
Lat1 : 42.902N Lon1 : 68.889W

16291 Date : 23.11.97 21:00:04 LC : B
Lat1 : 43.526N Lon1 : 68.368W

16291 Date : 27.11.97 21:09:13 LC : 0
Lat1 : 42.696N Lon1 : 69.697W

16291 Date : 29.11.97 17:59:11 LC : 0
Lat1 : 43.087N Lon1 : 69.176W

16291 Date : 01.12.97 21:19:42 LC : 0
Lat1 : 43.252N Lon1 : 69.614W

16291 Date : 03.12.97 17:11:05 LC : 0
Lat1 : 43.174N Lon1 : 69.937W

16291 Date : 05.12.97 16:48:18 LC : 0
Lat1 : 42.783N Lon1 : 69.682W

16291 Date : 07.12.97 18:08:55 LC : 0
Lat1 : 43.349N Lon1 : 69.041W

Note: 16291 has switched its duty cycle and will only transmit every thiid day from now until the battery in the transmitter expires.

"Bjorn" Data, Tag# 24848
Preliminary Data

24848 Date : 01.10.97 23:40:43 LC : A
Lat1 : 43.130N Lon1 : 70.156W

24848 Date : 03.10.97 22:56:04 LC : 1
Lat1 : 42.990N Lon1 : 70.216W

24848 Date : 06.10.97 06:16:57 LC : 0
Lat1 : 42.752N Lon1 : 70.257W

24848 Date : 07.10.97 23:06:09 LC : 0
Lat1 : 43.417N Lon1 : 69.960W

24848 Date : 09.10.97 05:43:17 LC : B
Lat1 : 43.626N Lon1 : 69.991W

24848 Date : 11.10.97 23:20:45 LC : 2
Lat1 : 43.160N Lon1 : 70.108W

24848 Date : 12.10.97 22:57:06 LC : 0
Lat1 : 43.604N Lon1 : 69.969W

24848 Date : 13.10.97 22:39:50 LC : B
Lat1 : 43.605N Lon1 : 69.699W

It seems that this tag might have terminated>

Additional and more complete data is available in the WhaleNet listerv.

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Sample Questions and Activities--

1. How far do harbor porpoise travel a day? (Average)
2. How far did they travel since their initial tagging?
3. Why do you think they are traveling in a particular direction?
4. Why do whales/porpoises migrate?
5. What is the average rate of travel?
6. What other questions do you have regarding Otis and Bjorn?
7. How would you find your answers?
8. What other information would you need?

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