Uncrewed Vehicle Helps Fill Data Gaps in Northeast’s Difficult-to-Reach Areas

Between April 16 and May 5, 2025, a team of ocean researchers conducted the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s second DriX survey out of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. The DriX operated nearly 24/7 for 20 days. It collected data to characterize fish and plankton in Southern New England, including within five wind energy areas at various stages of development. This is a step toward using this innovative technology to study and sample marine life and habitats in places that are challenging for larger research vessels to access.

“Uncrewed systems have the ability to support various stock and ecosystem assessments through data acquisition, particularly in areas that have traditionally been or are increasingly becoming challenging to sample,” explained Conor McManus, Advanced Technology Program Lead for the science center. “We are learning more about how marine ecosystems are changing while improving the technology and operations to be able to use it more expansively in the future.”

Scientists used a DriX to collect mission-critical data throughout southern New England, which could complement long-term surveys by filling gaps in places NOAA vessels and aircraft can’t reach.

The DriX is a submarine-shaped, 25-foot-long uncrewed surface vehicle. Unlike a sub, the DriX operates entirely on the surface. The vehicle is programmed to collect data along transect lines but can correct its course to avoid objects in the water. Similar to a car’s cruise control, it is monitored by trained operators who are remotely present and can take control when necessary. DriX is a flexible platform that can carry many sensors needed to collect oceanographic data. For this survey, DriX was outfitted with:

• Seapix multibeam sonar (150 kHz)
• Konsberg EK80 echosounder (38, 70, 120, 200 kHz)
• Nortek Signature 500 kHz echosounder and acoustic doppler current profiler

These instruments collected data that will help scientists identify fish and plankton fields, as well as currents and other environmental information. For example, data collected by the Seapix can be used to estimate the volume of a school of fish.

DriX and other autonomous and semi-automous vehicles can complement ship-based surveys and improve the efficiency of collecting acoustic and biological data. The DriX could help fill data gaps by working in tandem with our long-term ecosystem surveys, such as the Bottom Trawl Survey. The science center’s surveys, including the Bottom Trawl, have been consistently collecting data on fisheries, ocean conditions, and habitat from the Gulf of Maine to North Carolina for more than 50 years.

During the first week, scientists launched and accompanied the DriX aboard the R/V Gloria Michelle, a 72-foot research vessel homeported in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. They calibrated the acoustic equipment and plankton sampling systems while collecting oceanographic data in the Revolution Wind Energy Area.

Collecting Critical Data in Marine Development Areas

Offshore wind energy and other forms of marine development, including oil and gas platforms and aquaculture farms, can create gaps in long term oceanographic datasets. NOAA vessels and aircraft may be unable to access and sample these areas safely or consistently. These gaps become a more frequent challenge in an increasingly crowded ocean. In response, NOAA and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management developed a survey mitigation strategy. To investigate the DriX’s potential as a survey mitigation strategy, the vehicle collected data during the same time period as the Northeast spring Bottom Trawl Survey, which is the longest running survey of its kind in the world.

The DriX traveled 1,678 nautical miles and collected data in and around five different wind energy areas in various stages of development. This data will help us better understand oceanographic and biological differences inside and outside the wind energy areas. The DriX collected data at the following leases or farms:

• Block Island Wind Farm (Rhode Island)
• Revolution Wind (Massachusetts)
• Vineyard Wind (Massachusetts)
• South Fork Wind (New York)
• Sunrise Wind (New York)

Development in these areas varied from Block Island Wind Farm, which is currently operational, to Sunrise Wind, which has not been built and served as a baseline. The DriX used acoustic transducers to collect data that will help compare fish and plankton aggregations around different levels of marine development. It will also allow scientists to map the distribution of fish and plankton in and around wind energy areas. Scientists will use the data to investigate the potential effect of “wind wakes,” or reduced wind energy behind the turbines, which could influence ocean mixing and productivity.

The maneuverable DriX can sample as close as 65 feet from wind turbines, which is much closer than many research vessels. Scientists tested different patterns to sample around the turbines, including spiral, grid, and star. Each pattern represents different assumptions and has tradeoffs. For example, the star pattern is the quickest because it samples more over the structure than the areas around it, but it may not collect as much data as spiral or transect patterns.

The DriX collected data while traveling up to 10 knots and was able to safely work in 6-foot seas, conditions that a boat of a similar size to DriX could not manage. It paused every 3–4 days for maintenance and refueling. Technicians from Exail, a private company that developed the technology, remotely monitored the DriX from the University of Rhode Island’s Inner Space Center. For safety, technicians piloted the DriX while it maneuvered around wind turbines and other obstacles.

We conducted the first DriX survey in this area during fall 2023, while this most recent survey was conducted in the spring. Scientists plan to study patterns in fish and plankton abundance across seasons and years, as well as patterns across day/night cycles. The DriX also samples throughout the tidal cycle, which is important to study areas that experience large tidal changes, including around Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Capturing Where Right Whales Forage

Scientists need to understand the distribution of plankton and small forage fish to better predict how protected species including whales and sea turtles are using ocean habitats. Of particular concern is the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

To study habitat use, the DriX sampled in prey field areas where right whales have previously been documented foraging. DriX carried high frequency echosounders on this survey that can “see” copepods, the favorite food of right whales.

“Uncrewed systems have the ability to survey important right whale foraging areas during times that are difficult to access with traditional vessels,” explained Chris Orphanides, the science center’s protected species lead for marine development. “These technologies could provide insights on habitat use and prey distribution that will be beneficial to management, and that otherwise would be difficult to achieve.”

Advancing New Technology

Scientists are currently analyzing the extensive oceanographic data collected by the DriX during the spring 2025 survey. While the DriX does not capture traditional biological samples used in fisheries research, the acoustic data allow scientists to identify and estimate plankton and fish biomass, in some instances to the species level. Additionally, such uncrewed vehicles can be used to collect and process water samples for environmental DNA analysis, and could help fill more data gaps. Scientists are planning for the next potential DriX survey in the fall of 2025 or summer of 2026. They continue to evaluate how data collected by uncrewed systems can be used to support our fisheries, protected species, and ecosystem research and management missions.

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Wayne Creed

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