FIU Brings Public Into Ocean Research with Whale Tracking Bracelets

Researchers tag and track whales and dolphins to study climate change and human impacts.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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Florida International University is leading a global effort to tag and track whales and dolphins, allowing the public to follow the animals' movements through a bracelet with a QR code. The bracelets, sold in stores across South Florida, provide funding for the research and engage the community in ocean conservation efforts.

Why it matters

This program allows the public to directly participate in important marine research, providing crucial data on whale and dolphin populations and behaviors that can inform conservation efforts. It also generates funding to expand the tagging program to new species and regions that have not been studied before.

The details

Researcher Dr. Jeremy Kiszka and his team at FIU are tagging whales and dolphins, including stranded animals they refloat, to track their movements and better understand the impacts of climate change and human activity. The bracelets, made by a company called Fahlo, allow bracelet owners to follow the tagged animals through an app on their phones. Ten percent of bracelet sales go directly to funding the research.

  • The bracelet program has been ongoing since 2026.

The players

Dr. Jeremy Kiszka

A marine mammal researcher at Florida International University leading the global effort to tag and track whales and dolphins.

Fahlo

A company that makes the bracelets with QR codes that allow the public to track the tagged whales and dolphins.

Florida International University

A public research university in Miami, Florida that is pioneering this public engagement approach to ocean research.

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What they’re saying

“We also tag animals such as dolphins that strand alive in some places, to try to see how they're making it. It's, you know, when we refloat them. We try to know more about the species that nobody has ever tagged before. It's a great project that we actually share with the public.”

— Dr. Jeremy Kiszka, Marine Mammal Researcher (local10.com)

“So it's a really great way to get people involved. They can actually participate in our research, through an app on their phone and track their animals. This little object completely changed our research. It's an amazing opportunity for us to do things that have never been done before and just involve the public like this is just.. I feel very fortunate to be able to do that.”

— Dr. Jeremy Kiszka, Marine Mammal Researcher (local10.com)

“To me, I really hope that this program, like, lasts for the rest of my career. It opened the door to species and places where nothing had been done before. So the exploration of the ocean can continue thanks to the public getting engaged and seeing actually what research looks like on an app. These animals mean a lot, not only to me, but to people, but they're also amazing indicators of the health of our oceans.”

— Dr. Jeremy Kiszka, Marine Mammal Researcher (local10.com)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This program allows the public to directly participate in important marine research, providing crucial data on whale and dolphin populations and behaviors that can inform conservation efforts. It also generates funding to expand the tagging program to new species and regions that have not been studied before.