Use of Drones in Fishery Science

Abstract

The use of unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), commonly referred to as drones, has rapidly expanded across many scientific disciplines. Like other fields, fisheries research would benefit significantly from broader use of this emerging technology but has lagged behind other disciplines. Like the implementation of satellite and aircraft-based remote sensing technology in previous decades brought a greater understanding of large-scale spatial patterns and processes, UAS technology has the potential to put those tools in the hands of individual researchers, allowing implementation at finer spatial and temporal scales for a fraction of the cost. Our goal is to provide a “how-to” for fisheries researchers interested in using UAS technology. We outline the necessary steps for any UAS project from choosing the appropriate platform and sensors to data acquisition and analysis. We also present the current ways in which UASs are being used in a fisheries research context as well as potential future research directions.