Marine top predators represent an essential part of marine ecosystems. They are generally regarded as “sentinels of the sea” since their presence reflects high biological productivity. However, many populations are experiencing dramatic declines attributed to various human-induced threats (e.g., pollution, climate change, overfishing), highlighting the need for effective conservation. In this review, we show that bio-telemetry can be an essential tool, not only to improve knowledge about the animals’ ecology, but also for conservation purposes. As such, we will first discuss the most important state-of-the-art devices (e.g., time-depth recorders, accelerometers, satellite tags) and illustrate how they can improve our understanding of movement ecology. We will then examine the challenges and ethical issues related to bio-telemetry, and lastly, demonstrate its enormous value in resolving present and future conservation issues. |
