Sophie Prendergast

Despite significant technical advances in marine biologging techniques over the last decade, critical questions surrounding species vertical distribution and the mechanistic drivers of marine movement patterns remain largely unanswered. Large migratory organisms exhibit specific, vertical and horizontal, behavioral patterns within their environment however, the mechanistic drivers of these movement patterns remain unknown. This proposal will address these issues by directly linking the fine scale vertical and horizontal movement patterns of ectothermic blue sharks (Prionace glauca) and regionally endothermic sicklefin devil rays (Mobula tarapacana) with their overall dynamic body activity (ODBA), as a proxy for performance, before exploring these relationships in the context of environmental parameters in the central North Atlantic and more specifically within Azores Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). This information will be crucial for developing effective management strategies which require detailed information regarding the extent to which these species overlap with fishing pressure across their 3-dimensional environment and how they may respond to climate induced environmental changes.