Tracking seasonal movements of Alaska red king crab using a Saildrone USV equipped with an acoustic receiver.

Alaska red king crab is one of the most valuable of the commercially harvested crabs, in demand for its succulent and flavorful snow-white meat. To make better decisions regarding the protection of this important fishery, researchers from NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science Center and Bering Sea Fisheries Research Foundation teamed up to track the movements of red king crab using saildrones. In June 2019, researchers aboard a chartered fishing vessel tagged 148 mature male Alaska red king crabs with a shell length greater than 120 mm (4.7 inches); in September, two Saildrone USVs equipped with keel-mounted VEMCO acoustic receivers were launched from Dutch Harbor, AK, to find out where the crab had gone.

The Results

The two saildrones covered a total of 3,500 nautical miles and located a total of 50 crabs—34% of the tagged group.

Surveying sandeel, saithe, and herring off the coast of Bergen in partnership with Norway’s Institute of Marine Research.

Saildrone’s first mission in the North Sea, in partnership with Havforskningsinstituttet, Norway’s Institute of Marine Research (IMR), surveyed sandeel, North Sea saithe, and herring—three important species with significant commercial and ecological value. Two saildrones deployed from Bergen spent more than 200 days combined studying the temporal-spatial dynamic of fish aggregations and school formations in an exceedingly busy area of the North Sea. The mission was a pilot study to evaluate the performance of the Saildrone platform in a region of dense marine traffic and also included comparison studies with the research vessel Eros.

The Results

The echograms captured during the mission were consistent with those observed by other platforms, with one exception: They revealed schools of fish close to the surface, and in one, backscatter above the surface suggested diving seabirds.

A 100-day mission from Vancouver Island to San Diego to assess fish stocks, count marine mammals, and test how uncrewed surface vehicles can augment ship-based sampling.

The 2018 West Coast Fisheries Survey is the first time autonomous wind and solar-powered vehicles have been used to gather essential data on fish populations. Five saildrones traveled more than 18,500 nautical miles over 100 days along the US west coast. Four of the saildrones duplicated the path of the NOAA research vessel Reuben Lasker collecting data on sardine, anchovy, and hake, one of the West Coast’s most valuable commercial fisheries. The fifth saildrone collected data close to shore in areas too shallow for the ship to safely navigate.

The Results

This novel survey combined observations of zooplankton, fish, marine mammals, and seabirds throughout the California Current Ecosystem to help scientists directly estimate the amount of fish and krill consumed by their natural predators.

A 60-day effort to assess stocks of Pacific hake and five coastal pelagic species carried out in two sub-missions extending the full length of the US west coast.

Saildrone and NOAA’s Northwest and Southwest Fisheries Science Centers performed the second joint integrated survey of the US West Coast, collecting data on Pacific hake and five coastal pelagic species integral to the California Current Ecosystem. The mission follows up last year’s successful 100-day mission to survey these fish stocks, count marine mammals, and test how uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) can augment ship-based sampling. The 2019 mission combined the efforts of seven saildrones and research teams onboard NOAA FSVs Bell M. Shimada (NWFSC) and Reuben Lasker (SWFSC) to survey the full length of the US West Coast from San Diego, CA, to Cape Flattery, WA.

The Results

The 2019 mission included more granular coverage near shore to depths as shallow as 7 meters, as well as transect extensions up to 140 nautical miles offshore.

Tracking melting ice, measuring CO2, and counting fish, seals, and whales to better understand behavior and population in the Bering and Chukchi Seas.

Three saildrones launched from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, spent three months in the US Arctic reaching 75°N and sailing more than 7,775 nautical miles combined before returning to Dutch Harbor for retrieval. Two of the vehicles were equipped with a newly adapted system to measure CO2 concentrations in the Chukchi Sea; the third vehicle, equipped with an echo sounder, remained in the Bering Sea to survey walleye pollock, northern fur seals, and the elusive North Pacific right whale.

The Results

Researchers attached video cameras on northern fur seals to record feeding behavior and verify the species and sizes of fish the fur seals are eating, which was combined with the saildrone data to better understand this declining population.

Saildrone’s 5th annual Arctic mission was a joint effort between NOAA and NASA, as part of the NOPP Arctic MISST project.

A fleet of saildrones spent 147 days in the Chukchi Sea intentionally sailing up to and into Arctic sea ice to provide in situ observations for satellite algorithm development as part of the Arctic Multi-sensor Improved Sea Surface Temperature study. A sixth vehicle performed a fisheries survey in the Bering Sea. The fleet traveled more than 36,000 nautical miles and set a new Saildrone northern latitude record of 75.49°N.

The Results

Real-time comparisons of Saildrone data with numerical models revealed that surface net heat fluxes in the Arctic vary substantially, short-range numerical predictions can be very good for certain variables but not for others, and they deviate quickly from saildrone in situ observations as the prediction range increases.

With ship-based surveys canceled due to COVID-19, NOAA Fisheries turned to Saildrone to collect data to support the sustainable management of America’s largest fishery.

A 6,000 nautical mile round trip mission from San Francisco to the Bering Sea to perform an acoustic survey of Alaska pollock. The vehiciles were deployed in May, completed the survey in late July, and arrived back in San Francisco in early October to deliver the raw data after nearly five months at sea. The saildrones carried a calibrated EK80 38/200 kHz echo sounder, the world-standard instrument for acoustic fisheries surveys on a variety of platforms, as well as oceanographic and meteorological sensors to collect environmental data.

The Results

The data set was delivered on time and will be used by the Fisheries Management Council to inform the sustainable management of the Alaska pollock fishery.