Saildrone's quiet voyage: Autonomous vessel aids Great Lakes fish stock study

GREAT LAKES, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) -- Scientists will start getting information from an autonomous vessel in the Great Lakes.

It's collecting data for the United States Geological Survey.

This bright orange solar-powered, and wind-powered boat was launched last week in Lake Michigan in Charlevoix on a very important mission.

"The purpose of the study essentially is to understand fish stocks, understand the abundances of prey fish that support the predator stocks that are so valuable,” USGC Fishery Biologist Peter Esselman said. “We're also comparing the data that we get from this quieted platform to our conventional research vessels, which are producing noise and potentially scaring fish away from the vicinity.”

It's called Saildrone and it's collecting data using sound waves to detect fish.

Saildrone is working with the United States Geological Survey to collect data on the fish population on the Great Lakes.

"The mission will run a whole month of August and the whole month of September,” Saildrone Ocean Data Director Matt Womble said. “You'll likely see them on like Michigan like your throughout the course of the really the rest of the summer into early fall.”

This uncrewed boat will sail through Lake Michigan and finish its trip in Lake Huron.

It's monitored 24-7 remotely as it's constantly collecting data on the water.

"The data we're collecting with Saildrone are fisheries data using echo sounders so we're using sound to detect fish in the water and Saildrone has an advantage because it can be out all the time,” Esselman said. “We don't have to go in and fuel up or sleep and we also get quiet data essentially saildrone operates very quietly and it doesn't scare fish away.”

What is collected now will be used to make fishery decisions.

"The states and tribes in the province of Ontario make decisions based on how much bait is in the water. They manage predators. They manage lake trout stocking they manage salmon catch limits and bag limits, size limits,” Esselman said. “All of those things depend on data about how much bait is in the water support predators."

If you see this 15-foot tall and 21-foot-long boat

"We ask people to keep a safe distance away from the vehicles or obviously science vehicles are out there working trying to collect data,” Womble said. “You will want you will see them there. They're bright orange, painted bright orange for visibility at night. They're lit up very clearly as well."

This is part of a four-year long project between USGS and Saildrone and they are in year three right now.