CHARLEVOIX, MICH. — A bright orange unmanned vessel has just wrapped up its mission to quietly gather data about fish populations in the Great Lakes.
The Saildrone Explorer, a 23-foot autonomous watercraft powered entirely by wind and sunshine, had launched from Charlevoix in late July and sailed around parts of Lakes Michigan and Huron before being brought back onto land this week, according to UpNorthLive.
The vehicle was equipped with environmental sensors both under and above the water, including an instrument that uses sound to detect fish, much like a fish-finder on a fishing boat, according to Saildrone, Inc., the California-based company that manufactures and operates saildrone vessels.
A key benefit to using these drones to study fish is that they operate with virtually no noise, allowing them to collect data on fish populations without scaring the fish away.
The vessel was deployed by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of a multi-year collaborative research effort with Saildrone, Inc. This study included several partners in both the U.S. and Canada, including the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
This most recent mission was the first time the U.S.G.S. was able to access previously unmapped parts of Lake Huron, including the North Channel and Ontario’s Georgian Bay.
Similar missions were conducted on Lake Superior in 2022 and Lake Michigan in 2021. Another saildrone survey took place concurrently this summer on Lake Erie.
According to a statement by Dr. Peter Esselman, USGS Fishery Biologist, these surveys help to more accurately monitor the abundance of certain types of fish in the Great Lakes, which in turn gives states and tribes data to help drive fisheries management.
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