Tagging of Pelagic Predators

About Ano Nuevo

VR4 Ano medThe northern VR4 Global monitor at Año Nuevo Island sits in the area known for the majority of observed white shark predation events on seals. This was our first real-time VR4 permanent mooring. Data from this custom built unit is streaming to the web in real time.


About Año Nuevo


The Año Nuevo State Park is a unique marine conservation area that is located on the central coast of California, in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The Spanish maritime explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno sailed by the point in 1603 and named it Punta de Año Nuevo (New Year's Point) for the day on which they sighted it.


Año Nuevo is 45 miles south of San Francisco and about 50 miles from the Farallon Islands.


Within the park, Año Nuevo Island is home to numerous shipwrecks and a rich history. The island supports one of the largest mainland breeding colonies of northern elephant seals, a favorite prey species of white sharks and a colony of sea lions that forage for sardines and squid in the rich California Current.


In the fall, when juvenile elephant seals return to Año Nuevo to rest. These young seals are often naïve to the threat of white sharks and can provide a high caloric meal.

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