Saildrone launch from Charlevoix, MI, July 2023

The USGS worked with Saildrone, Inc., to launch an autonomous surface vehicle called a Saildrone Explorer into Lake Michigan out of Charlevoix, Michigan, on July 19, 2023. The vehicle is equipped with several environmental sensors both under and above the water, including a fisheries echosounder that uses sound to detect fish, much like a fish-finder on a fishing boat, and is operated by Saildrone. It will conduct assessments in northern Lake Michigan and throughout Lake Huron through the end of September, 2023.

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