The DRIFT project aims to develop and test, on Madeira Island, an innovative, low-cost drone-based radio telemetry system to study the movements of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in hard-to-access insular ecosystems. Thirty eels will be monitored over a ten-month period, comparing this approach with traditional telemetry techniques while assessing the influence of environmental conditions on its performance. Led by a multidisciplinary team of biologists and engineers, the project seeks to expand the application of telemetry in freshwater ecosystems and enhance knowledge of the ecology and conservation of aquatic species in Macaronesia. This project is funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the 2024 Call for Exploratory Research Projects in All Scientific Domains.
| Project Designation: | DRIFT - Drone-based Radio telemetry in Insular ecosystems for Fish Tracking | |
| Program: | FCT PEX (Projetos Investigação Carácter Exploratório) | |
| Start Date: | 23/02/2026 | |
| End Date: | 22/08/2027 | |
| Total Budget: | 59 977,50€ | |
| Funding: | 59 977,50€ | |
| Partners: | Agência Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigação, Tecnologia e Inovação (ARDITI); FCiências.ID - Associação para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento de Ciências. |
