An unmanned aerial vehicle for localization of radio-tagged sturgeon: Design and first test results

Radio tags have long been used for localizing and tracking wildlife for biological studies and for wildlife management. Tagged animals are often tracked from the air requiring wildlife scientists to charter small aircraft and fly over the environment under study; a process that is slow, expensive, and poses a substantial safety risk. This paper describes how we have integrated a radio tag telemetry receiver into an inexpensive unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that we have developed based on a commercial radio-controlled (RC) model aircraft. We have successfully demonstrated localization of fish tags placed on land at known locations on a flying field, both individual tags and two tags. We have also localized a tag anchored underwater in an ice-covered lake. The design of the UAV and the field test results are presented in this paper.