Custom-Designed for Fish School Detection
Battery-Powered Instead of Fossil Fuels
500 Tons of Carbon Reduced, Tuna Schools Tracked with AI
Dongwon Industries has developed the world's first drone dedicated to fish school detection and is now deploying it at fishing sites. The company aims to shift its fishing operations toward an eco-friendly and digital-centered paradigm, with strategies such as saving 200,000 liters of fuel annually and reducing carbon emissions by nearly 500 tons.
A drone dedicated to fish school detection, developed by Dongwon Industries as the world's first, is flying to locate tuna schools. [Photo by Dongwon Industries]
On May 20, Dongwon Industries announced that after two years of research and development, it had developed the fish school detection drone using its own technology and would conduct a pilot installation on the purse seiner "OCEAN ACE." Unlike conventional multipurpose drones or helicopters, this drone is the first to be designed specifically for fish school detection from the planning stage. Dongwon Industries plans to sequentially introduce the drone to a total of 13 purse seiners by next year.
This project was led by the Integrated Technology Institute, Dongwon Group’s R&D control tower. Established in 2023 to accelerate productivity innovation and technology development across the group, the institute was recently reorganized as the technology division of Dongwon Industries. In collaboration with domestic drone specialist company PABLO AIR, the drone was comprehensively designed to suit the unique conditions of distant-water fishing, including automatic takeoff and landing on moving vessels, wind resistance, and wireless communication range.
In particular, the drone boasts overwhelming eco-friendliness and economic efficiency compared to existing helicopters and drones. As the drone is battery-powered, it does not require fossil fuels. Dongwon Industries expects that the introduction of the fish detection drone will reduce annual fuel consumption by 200,000 liters and cut carbon emissions by about 500 tons. When combining fuel and maintenance costs, the company anticipates up to 60% savings in operating expenses.
Additionally, the risk of safety accidents is low, and the battery is removable, making maintenance easy. This helps prevent accidents in the variable maritime environment and allows for continuous drone operation without performance degradation. The onboard high-density battery has one of the world's largest capacities, enabling annual flight hours more than twice those of existing drones. With a maximum flight speed of 120 km/h, which is faster than tuna schools, the drone contributes to improved operational efficiency in actual fishing activities.
Dongwon Industries plans to further enhance detection performance by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) software in the future. Deep learning-based software will identify and transmit the real-time movements of tuna schools, such as "baekpa" (white water caused by tuna chasing anchovy schools near the surface), to the control system, thereby optimizing fishing timing. "Baekpa" refers to the white wake that occurs when tuna feed on anchovy schools near the water’s surface.
This is not the first time Dongwon Industries has revolutionized fishing operations with cutting-edge technology. In 1979, the company introduced the nation's first purse seiner equipped with a helicopter, and since 2022, it has applied multipurpose drones in the field. However, helicopters have limitations such as safety risks and carbon emissions, while general drones are vulnerable to maritime environments and, in the event of a malfunction, require three to four months to restart operations.
A Dongwon Industries official stated, "The fish detection drone developed with our proprietary technology is industrially significant as it leads the establishment of an advanced fishing system. By ensuring safety, productivity, and economic efficiency, the eco-friendly fish detection drone will change the paradigm of the global fisheries industry."
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