The need for such information is particularly acute given the anthropogenic pressures many such populations and species face вЂ“. Such data are critical to understanding the ecology of a species and its environmental role and, consequently, are vital to conservation or management efforts (e.g.,, ). Satellite tagging can elucidate the movement, distribution, behaviour and habitat use of cetaceans in relation to their physical environment (e.g., вЂ“ ). Tissues obtained by biopsy sampling can be used for a range of analyses including genetics, stable isotopes, fatty acids, contaminants, hormones and trace elements (see for a review) and can so address aspects such as population structure, diet and animal health (e.g., вЂ“ ). Two field methods вЂ“ tissue biopsy sampling and satellite-linked telemetry (or satellite tagging) вЂ“ are becoming widely used in cetacean studies because they allow the collection of data which are difficult or impossible to obtain by other means. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Д¬ompeting interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.Д¬etaceans spend the vast majority of their lives under water and are highly mobile and often wide-ranging, which makes them a challenging taxon to study. All relevant data are within the paper and its supplementary files.ДЇunding: Funding was provided by the National Research FoundationвЂ™s (NRF) Thuthuka and South African National Antarctic programmes, the South African Department of Science and Technology through the NRF, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (Project number: 10251290) and the International Whaling CommissionвЂ™s Southern Ocean Research Partnership. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Дata Availability: The authors confirm that all data underlying the findings are fully available without restriction. Received: JAccepted: OctoPublished: November 6, 2014Д¬opyright: В© 2014 Reisinger et al. PLoS ONE 9(11):Д®ditor: Jean-Benoit Charrassin, Musee National d'Histoire Naturelle, France Multievent trap-dependence modelling revealed considerable variation in individual sighting patterns however, there were no significant mid- or long-term changes following biopsy sampling or tagging.Д¬itation: Reisinger RR, Oosthuizen WC, PГ©ron G, Cory Toussaint D, Andrews RD, de Bruyn PJN (2014) Satellite Tagging and Biopsy Sampling of Killer Whales at Subantarctic Marion Island: Effectiveness, Immediate Reactions and Long-Term Responses. Hit or miss and age-sex class were important predictors of the reaction, but the method (tag or biopsy) was unimportant. Severe immediate reactions were never observed. Individuals most often showed no reaction when attempts missed (66%) and a slight reactionвЂ“defined as a slight flinch, slight shake, short acceleration, or immediate diveвЂ“when hit (54%).

The improved tags remained attached for 26в‘4 days (mean В± SD). Biopsy sampling success rates were low (43%), but tagging rates were high with improved tag designs (86%).

We made 72 biopsy sampling attempts (resulting in 32 tissue samples) and 37 satellite tagging attempts (deploying 19 tags). To study mid- and long-term behavioural changes we used multievent capture-recapture models that accommodate imperfect detection and individual heterogeneity. The performance of these methods is critically assessed using 1) the attachment duration of low-impact minimally percutaneous satellite tags 2) the immediate behavioural reactions of animals to biopsy sampling and satellite tagging 3) the effect of researcher experience on biopsy sampling and satellite tagging and 4) the mid- (1 month) and long- (24 month) term behavioural consequences. We report methods for shore-based, remote biopsy sampling and satellite tagging of killer whales Orcinus orca at Subantarctic Marion Island.

Researchers must carefully consider their methods not only from an animal welfare perspective, but also to ensure the scientific rigour and validity of their results. Remote tissue biopsy sampling and satellite tagging are becoming widely used in large marine vertebrate studies because they allow the collection of a diverse suite of otherwise difficult-to-obtain data which are critical in understanding the ecology of these species and to their conservation and management.

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