Yearly Archives: 2023
Ocean Alliance Announces First-Ever Successful Drone-Based Tagging of Endangered Blue and Fin Whales
GLOUCESTER, Mass., April 19, 2023 (Newswire.com) - For the first time ever, Ocean Alliance and their collaborators have successfully deployed suction cup data-tags on blue and fin whales in the Gulf of California using a drone (UAV). This new deployment method is detailed in an April 2023 publication in the journal Royal Society Open Science and could have significant positive implications for whale science and conservation. Deployment of Biologging Tags on Free Swimming Large Whales Using Uncrewed Aerial Systems. R. Soc. open sci. April 19, 2023 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.221376
This work shows that UAVs are capable of attaching biologging tags to free-swimming large whales. This method may hold advantages for studying vulnerable or hard-to-study species by potentially reducing stress from tagging activities. The work was carried out in collaboration with researchers from Ocean Alliance, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, University of Michigan, and Syracuse University.
"The ability to use the aerial platform for tag deployment provides a huge step forward for the science. This method allows for tags to be attached to whales that might otherwise be difficult to approach with a boat and minimizes any disruption to their normal behaviors. This gives us an opportunity to better understand their behavior to aid in conservation efforts." Dr. Susan Parks, whale acoustics expert and Biology Professor from Syracuse University.
Biologging data tags are critical tools for marine mammal research. The tags are equipped with specialized sensors for recording depth, orientation, acceleration, temperature, acoustics, and even video.
In addition to reduced behavioral impact, "efficient tag deployment enables targeting of specific animals in a group or multi-animal tagging. This ability to target an individual animal and/or doubling or tripling sample size for an experiment will greatly enhance the science and our understanding of these animals." Dr. Alex Shorter, Mechanical Engineering Professor University of Michigan.
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Research Ecologist Dr. David Wiley, who has used suction-cup tags to study the behavior of whales for almost 30 years, said, "A lot of time and funds have gone into improving tag design and capability, but this is the first real improvement in tag delivery!" Wiley also stated, although the use of UAVs for tag attachment is a major advancement, it, "Takes more than just the desire and a drone to make it happen. The synergy of combining our expertise and experience greatly contributed to our success."
Learn more at instagram.com/SnotBot or www.whale.org.
About Ocean Alliance
Dr. Iain Kerr leads Ocean Alliance's Drones for Whale Research Program. Ocean Alliance is a 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to protect whales and their ocean environment through research, scientific collaboration, public education, and the arts.
Dr. Iain Kerr
CEO, Ocean Alliance
kerr@whale.org
978-281-2814 ext 600
Chris Zadra
Drone Program Manager/Drone Pilot
czadra@whale.org
978-281-2814 ext 300
Alicia Pensarosa
Assistant Director, Ocean Alliance
apensarosa@whale.org
978-281-2814 ext 100
Related Images
SnotBot Tagging Blue Whale
Ocean Alliance's SnotBot Drone deploying a bio-logging tag on a blue whale in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Credit: Christian Miller\/Ocean Alliance
Original Source: Ocean Alliance Announces First-Ever Successful Drone-Based Tagging of Endangered Blue and Fin Whales
ESPN to Air Women’s and Men’s Finals for United States Polo Association’s National Intercollegiate Championship (NIC)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 18, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Representing the top-rated intercollegiate polo programs in the country, the 2023 Division I Women's and Men's National Intercollegiate Championship (NIC) Finals were played on Saturday, April 15, with Texas A&M University winning the Women's Division and the University of North Texas bringing home the victory for the Men's Division. The Women's and Men's Finals will air on Sunday, April 23, at 7 p.m. EDT on ESPNU. Check your local listings or click HERE for air times and channels.
U.S. Polo Assn., the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), proudly outfitted 49 collegiate polo teams, of which 11 teams qualified to compete in the United States Polo Association's Division I National Intercollegiate Championships. The final contenders in the Women's Division included Texas A&M University, University of Virginia, University of Kentucky, Southern Methodist University, Cornell University, and University of South Carolina-Aiken, and the final contenders in the Men's Division included the University of North Texas, University of Virginia, Texas A&M University, Cornell University, and Southern Methodist University. The 101st Annual Event was held at the Virginia Polo Center in Charlottesville, VA.
The most celebrated tournament for Division I Collegiate Polo in the United States included support from U.S. Polo Assn.'s nationwide Collegiate Partnership Program (CPP), available to all colleges and universities with a USPA-sanctioned collegiate polo team. Through the CPP, U.S. Polo Assn. provided student-athletes from a total of 30 colleges with complete game attire throughout the official 2022-2023 polo season. This is the fifth consecutive year for this program, where teams range from East to West Coast and include small private and large public institutions, as well as Ivy League and Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs).
The 2023 USPA Intercollegiate/Interscholastic (I/I) Program is dedicated to growing the sport of polo through future generations in the United States. For the second year in a row, the Women's and Men's Finals will be aired on ESPNU as an extension of the historic relationship with ESPN, which highlights the student-athletes and the sport of polo on a collegiate level.
"U.S. Polo Assn. is proud to once again support the National Intercollegiate Championship through the U.S. Polo Assn. Collegiate Partnership Program and to continue to bring awareness to the 101-year-old National Intercollegiate Program that serves so many student-athletes," said J. Michael Prince, President and CEO of USPA Global Licensing, which manages the global, multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand. "Not to mention, our ability to continue promoting the sport of polo at the collegiate and professional levels to sports fans around the world on ESPN platforms for the first time in the sport's history."
Support from U.S. Polo Assn.'s Collegiate Partnership Program includes customized performance team jerseys, white performance pants, polo shirts, caps, and equipment gear bags as well as a monetary donation for a total of 49 collegiate teams throughout the country. New to this year's polo kit are USPA Pro items, the sports performance product line, which is uniquely designed in collaboration with professional polo players for the highest level of performance on the field.
"The Finals of the NIC represent the end to another great season of collegiate polo, and we are so proud of our student-athletes for their efforts this year. We also want to recognize the horses - our equine athlete partners make it all possible," said Liz Brayboy, Chair of the USPA's Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Committee. "We are incredibly fortunate to have the support of U.S. Polo Assn. for the fifth year in a row. In addition, the exposure our college polo teams receive on ESPN platforms is amazing for both the sport and our players."
In addition, the 2023 Division II Women's and Men's National Intercollegiate Championship Finals were played on Sunday, April 2, with California Polytechnic State University winning the Women's Division and Babson College bringing home the victory for the Men's Division. The final contenders for the Women's Division included University of Connecticut, Oklahoma State University, University of California Davis, and University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the final contenders for the Men's Division included University of Kentucky, Stanford University, Texas Tech University, and California Polytechnic State University.
The USPA and U.S. Polo Assn. congratulate all 2023 Division I and Division II Women's and Men's National Intercollegiate Championship (NIC) participants.
About U.S. Polo Assn. and USPA Global Licensing Inc. (USPAGL)
U.S. Polo Assn. is the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the non-profit governing body for the sport of polo in the United States and one of the oldest sports governing bodies, having been founded in 1890. With a multi-billion-dollar global footprint and worldwide distribution through some 1,100 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores and thousands of department stores as well as sporting goods channels, independent retailers and e-commerce, U.S. Polo Assn. offers apparel for men, women, and children, as well as accessories and footwear in more than 190 countries worldwide. U.S. Polo Assn. was named one of the top five sports licensors in 2022, according to License Global. Visit uspoloassnglobal.com and follow @uspoloassn.
USPA Global Licensing Inc. (USPAGL) is the for-profit subsidiary of the USPA and its exclusive worldwide licensor. USPAGL manages the global, multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand and is the steward of the USPA's intellectual properties, providing the sport with a long-term source of revenue. Through its subsidiary, Global Polo Entertainment (GPE), USPAGL also manages Global Polo TV, which provides polo, sport and lifestyle content. A historic, multi-year, global arrangement has been signed by USPAGL and ESPN for the world's leading sports content provider to air seven of the top final polo games in the U.S., allowing millions of sports fans and consumers to enjoy the sport across ESPN's broadcast and streaming platforms. For more sport content, visit globalpolo.com.
About the United States Polo Association® (USPA)
The United States Polo Association was organized and exists for the purposes of promoting the game of polo, coordinating the activities of its Member Clubs and Registered Players, arranging and supervising polo tournaments, competitions and games, and providing rules, handicaps, and conditions for those tournaments, competitions, and games including the safety and welfare of participants and mounts. Founded in 1890, the USPA is the national governing body for the sport of polo. The USPA is currently comprised of almost 200 member clubs with thousands of individual members and oversees 40 national tournaments. For more information, please visit uspolo.org.
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Additional Photos on Request. Photo Credits: Oana Photo
For Further Information, Contact:
Shannon Stilson - VP, Sports Marketing & Media
Phone +001.561.227.6994 - Email: sstilson@uspagl.com
Stacey Kovalsky - Senior Director, Global Communications
Phone +001.561.790.8036 - Email: skovalsky@uspagl.com
Original Source: ESPN to Air Women's and Men's Finals for United States Polo Association's National Intercollegiate Championship (NIC)