Lost seal-mounted camera found three-and-a-half years after deployment in N.S.: biologist
When Department of Fisheries and Oceans biologist Damian Lidgard first attached a camera to the back of a young grey seal on Sable Island, N.S., in 2017, he thought it wouldn't be long before he would be able to retrieve the device and review the data.
Instead, it was nearly three and a half years before he heard any word of the camera at all.
"What we normally do is put a satellite transmitter on any animal that we deploy instruments on. In this case, we didn't, because we expected this (camera) just to be gone at sea for a couple of days," said Lidgard in an interview Friday.
"With hindsight, probably not a good idea," he added with a laugh.
Lidgard said he first deployed the $10,000 camera on Dec. 31, 2017, on Sable Island, about 300 kilometres southeast of Halifax. Usually, cameras are attached to seals that the researchers are familiar with and that are likely to return to the Island.
The male seal, however, was unknown to researchers and was an ideal candidate for testing the somewhat new technology of the device being used.
The camera is attached to a piece of nylon netting that's then attached to fur on the seal's back, Lidgard explained.
The idea, he said, was to deploy the camera four or five times, each time removing it from the seal to get the data after a few days and reattaching it to continue the research.
In this case, Lidgard said he thinks the seal was starting to go through the moulting process and was foraging for food when the camera fell from its back.
"I don't know why he didn't come back onto the island, but he didn't and I never saw him during the breeding season," he said. "So once the breeding season is over, we just come to terms with it."
But in June, a fishing crew found the device in Banquereau Bank and contacted the Australian company that makes the device, Customized Animal Tracking Solutions.
The firm reached out to Lidgard to confirm the camera was his and to connect him with the fishers.
"I was bewildered at first and totally surprised," he said of news the camera had been found and was intact. After finally getting his hands back on the device, he sent it to Australia to have the data carefully extracted.
"There's a full record of observational data on the camera. I think (there are) 59 20-minute videos," he said, as well as dive depth data and acceleration data, among other metrics.
The camera is now on its way back from Australia and will be deployed on a female seal next month. This time, Lidgard said, the seal will be one that researchers are familiar with and is likely to make frequent trips back to the island.
Lidgard said while it was a longer experiment than expect, he calls it a success.
He said with the camera soon going back into use, he's been inspired to keep researching the mysterious animals.
"It's very risky, right? I mean, you put this camera on a seal and then you just really hope that the seal comes back and that you've got footage," he said. "So when something like this happens, I guess it's encouraging and it does encourage you to keep going."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 08, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.