"Over the past several years Digital Angel has worked closely with BPA to monitor and protect its regional fisheries," said Zeke Mejia, Chief Technology Officer of Digital Angel. "This contract extension is yet further evidence of the versatility and viability of RFID technology. We're thrilled to continue our partnership with BPA and through our technology, help safeguard a natural resource that is so crucial to the area."
Since the late 1980's, Digital Angel has teamed with Portland-based BPA and the federal Columbia and Snake River hydroelectric projects, to develop, manufacture, and install implantable passive integrated transponders in the native salmon population. Salmon represent a vital resource of the local community. The species' vulnerability to pollution, weather changes, and over-fishing, makes BPA's monitoring program a crucial element in their survival. Digital Angel's pioneering technology allows the BPA to effectively monitor the local salmon populations as they migrate through a river system that encompasses an elaborate network of dams and contributories.
Digital Angel's largest RFID antenna, located at the Bonneville Corner Collector, a bypass route developed to allow fish to move safely past the Bonneville Lock and Dam, is capable of electronically detecting tagged fish in a fraction of a second. When a tagged salmon passes through the monitored areas, its' transponder automatically activates, sending a unique identification number to the BPA's operations center. At the operations center, important information—such as the species, journey origin, and age of each fish—is meticulously logged. This information is essential to biologists and local conservationists attempting to maintain healthy ecosystems for the indigenous fish population.
In addition to the expanded contract with the BPA, Digital Angel recently announced new contracts with the Royal Malaysian Air Force and the Royal Netherlands Navy. Through its groundbreaking RFID and GPS location tracking technologies, Digital Angel remains focused on rapid growth, building a world-class organization, and driving shareholder and market value in the global marketplace.
About Digital Angel Corp.
Digital Angel Corp. develops and deploys sensor and communications technologies that enable rapid and accurate identification, location tracking, and condition monitoring of high-value assets. Applications for the company's products include identification and monitoring of humans, pets, fish, poultry, and livestock through its patented implantable microchips; location tracking and message monitoring of vehicles and aircraft in remote locations through systems that integrate GPS and geosynchronous satellite communications; and monitoring of asset conditions, such as temperature and movement, through advanced miniature sensors. Digital Angel Corp. is majority-owned by Applied Digital Inc. For more information about Digital Angel, please visit the company's Web site.