Evaluation of an acoustic telemetry transmitter designed to identify predation events

The field of acoustic telemetry has evolved rapidly and now permits the remote sensing of animal behaviour, movement, physiology and survival in environments and species not previously possible. However, an inability to detect when a telemetered animal is consumed by a predator can complicate accurate interpretation of telemetry data. Here, we describe efforts to test two generations of a novel prototype acoustic telemetry transmitter designed specifically to detect predation.
Testing involved either staged predation events where tagged prey (Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and Yellow Perch Perca flavescens) were fed to captive Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides, or false positive testing where prey fish were tagged and held without risk of predation. Metrics of interest were (a) the rate of correctly identifying predation events, (b) signal lag (i.e. the time required to detect a predation event), (c) tag retention time in the predator's gut, and (d) the rate of false positive tr...