February 26, 2024

Pacific Marine Expo Spotlight: Blue Skies Drones impact commercial fishing from sky to sea

Carli Stewart

Guest Author:

Blue Skies Drones offers buying and rental options for commercial fishermen. They are located in Washington and offer local pick-up or shipping to those in North America. Photo courtesy of Britton Spark (@couchchronicles)

Blue Skies Drones offers the largest drone rental fleet nationwide, from quadcopters to hexacopters, fixed-wing, and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) submersibles. Opening its doors in 2015, Blue Skies owns and maintains its fleet of rentals in-house at its headquarters in Centralia, WA. They also offer buying options on equipment and training for ROVs and drones. They can ship to anyone in North America and offer local pickup in Washington.

Blue Skies offers affordable and competitive pricing, and you can count on them to rent and sell the latest technology, with new models of ROVs and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) monthly. UAS has made quite an impression on all industries but has become a tremendous asset to those who make their living on the water. Drones have made it more accessible to investigate different habitats in the ocean, as well as a more affordable option for small vessel owners who don’t want to invest in multibeam echosounders to track fish.

ROV technology can save fishermen time and money by defeating the need to hire a diver to inspect submerged parts of a vessel or even having to haul out of a boatyard altogether.

Dale Hylton is the director of business development and strategic partnerships at Blue Skies Drones. Photo by Britton Spark (@couchchronicles)

“Divers can only go underwater for a certain amount of time, which can be expensive. Hauling your boat out to distinguish what’s wrong is also very costly. Using an ROV allows you to investigate what’s happening underwater and determine what tools are needed to fix the problem.” Shared Dale Hylton, director of business development and strategic partnerships at Blue Skies.

Fishermen have used Blue Skies ROV rentals to check on gear and even assist in fixing heating system leaks.

“One fisherman didn’t know there was a leak until he sent the ROV down there, and then they could direct a diver to fix that exact spot. It simplifies underwater work and reduces costs.” Hylton shared.

Blue Skies can help you test equipment you’ve wanted to try and offer training sessions around the U.S. for individuals looking to get more comfortable with drones and ROVs.

You can find more information on renting from Blue Skies Drones here and more information on buying and training here.

Carli Stewart

Carli is a Content Specialist for National Fisherman. She comes from a fourth-generation fishing family off the coast of Maine. Her background consists of growing her own business within the marine community. She resides on one of the islands off the coast of Maine while also supporting the lobster community she grew up in.