The use of animal-borne imaging devices on the endangered Hawaiian monk seal has greatly helped understand where and how they forage. Those devices provide high resolution data on the behavior, foraging habitat, and prey of seals, and the ecological community where they live. They have indicated that some monk seals regularly forage in mesophotic (100-300 m) and subphotic (>300 m) habitats rather than just in shallow reef habitats. The collected imagery is also helping to guide the development of further research, conservation, and management plans. Use of animal-borne imaging has resulted in substantial progress in understanding the foraging landscape of monk seals. Any refinements in this technology will certainly inform further population recovery efforts.

Depth range
0- 300 m

Mesophotic “mentions”
1 x (total of 3286 words)

Classification
* Presents original data
* Focused on 'mesophotic' depth range

Fields
Behavior
Ecology

Locations
USA - Hawaii

Platforms
In-situ instrumentation