PULLMAN, Wash. – Looks like salmon have a new ally in their battle against extinction: drones.
A Washington State University study shows drone photography can detect twice as many rocky hollows in rivers as conventional methods.
Salmon create rocky hollows, also knows as redds, to lay their eggs during spawning season.
WSU researchers say the drone technology will provide more data to determine if what they’re doing to preserve the rivers is working.
In addition, the drones can provide images looking at how habitats change over time and how human mitigation efforts help salmon.
Currently, researchers have to float down rivers or take dangerous helicopter flights to observe the health of salmon habitat.