NorTrack uses the ETN framework to ask three major research questions about the potential for coordinating animal tracking infrastructure in the North Sea:
RQ1) When and where are essential habitats (e.g., spawning, migration corridors) and biodiversity hotspots for aquatic animals in the NEA?
RQ2) How are aquatic animals in the NEA responding to climate change behaviourally and physiologically?
RQ3) How can animal movement data streams be adapted to stakeholder needs for agile evidence-based decision making?
Addressing these research questions will not only (i) support ETN’s vision for a permanent, coordinated research infrastructure for tracking animals in Europe’s aquatic habitats, but will also (ii) provide the means to maximise the value of ongoing projects, and (iii) expand local and regional tracking initiatives in all partner nations. Our ambition is to become a major international, ocean scale research program that identifies connectivity, critical habitat, and contributes to implementing management strategies that could be implemented to protect the NEA and preserve the valuable services rendered by the ocean: