NOAA scientists rely on cutting-edge technology to collect and analyze the data needed to manage our ocean resources and habitats. Because some ocean creatures live in remote areas and have complex life cycles, better understanding them requires unique tools.
By leveraging advanced technologies, we gather critical data to support healthy ecosystems, study endangered species, explore remote ocean areas, and make informed management decisions that sustain fisheries and coastal communities. We are paving the way for an efficient and robust data enterprise by bringing our data collection into a new era of innovative technologies and techniques by:
- Modernizing surveys and data acquisition
- Driving data modernization and cloud excellence
- Collaborating for open science and open data
Join us for Technology Week (August 17-21, 2026) as we showcase the amazing array of tools and innovations we use to carry out our mission! Discover our work with advanced technologies by exploring the features below.
Advanced Technologies to Reduce Vessel Strikes
Technology has the potential to reduce the risk of vessel collisions with marine life. We’re working with partners to develop and deploy new and existing technologies.
Explore how NOAA Fisheries and partners are using advanced technologies for vessel strike reduction
Spotlight on Surveys
Our surveys use a wide range of technologies to study our underwater world and the animals that inhabit it. From acoustics and uncrewed systems to remote sensing and satellites, this advanced technology helps us take the pulse of our ocean and marine life.
Charting the Future of Fisheries-Independent Surveys
A team of NOAA Fisheries biologists and international collaborators built a roadmap to evolve fisheries monitoring for a changing ocean. The approach blends advanced technology and new statistical methods with traditional field sampling data.
How we're working to chart the future of fisheries-independent surveys
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The future of fisheries-independent surveys will include traditional capture-based surveys as well as advanced technology such as acoustic, optical, and molecular tools deployed from survey vessels, uncrewed vehicles, and moored to the seafloor. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Su Kim
A Winter at Sea Reveals Seasonal Habitats of Whales, Dolphins, and Seabirds in Hawai’i
Results are in from our survey mission to study the winter populations of whales, dolphins, and seabirds in the main Hawaiian Islands. It’s only the second expedition of its kind. Take a look behind the scenes aboard the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette.
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A group of melon-headed whales swimming together on February 1, 2026, seen during the Winter Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Mary Applegate, taken under NOAA permit #25754.
Photo Gallery: 2026 Alaska Research Surveys
Curious about Alaskan research surveys? Dive into our photo gallery showcasing snapshots captured by field scientists during their 2026 research expeditions.
Dive into photos from 2026 research surveys in Alaska
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The F/V Alaska Knight, which is one of the two vessels surveying the eastern Bering Sea this year. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Emily Markowitz
Uncrewed Systems
Uncrewed systems allow us to access remote or difficult to reach places. They can be deployed aerially, on the ocean’s surface, and below the waves—supplementing traditional data collection methods and expanding our ability to conduct important research.
Underwater Gliders Join Ocean Survey, Revealing Diverse Marine Life Driving Marine Ecosystem
Long-running survey gets autonomous partner with new skills and talents.
More on underwater gliders joining ocean survey
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A shadowgraph camera extends from the nose of a glider in the laboratory. The camera in the box between the two cylinders attached to the glider collects an image every two seconds as the glider dives and climbs, collecting more than 1 million images in 30 days in the water. Photo: NOAA Fisheries
Beyond Ocean Mapping: Using Uncrewed Vehicles to Advance Ocean Research
Even when traditional research vessels can’t safely reach parts of the ocean, the science doesn’t stop. Uncrewed surface vehicles give scientists access to the ocean with fewer constraints, rewriting what is possible in oceanographic and fisheries research and addressing longstanding research questions.
How we are using uncrewed vehicles to advance ocean research
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Giving North Atlantic Right Whales a Check-Up Using Advanced Technology
Giving a right whale a check-up isn’t easy. Using research vessels and innovative drone technology, we are improving our understanding of their health and distribution. Discover how these data help reduce risks to right whales and how you can help.
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Deep Diving and Innovation to Restore the Gulf's Mesophotic Corals
Successfully restoring mesophotic corals requires a unique blend of traditional and innovative methods—marrying expert technical diving with cutting-edge tools forged in NOAA Fisheries laboratories.
Working to restore the Gulf’s mesophotic corals
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During this 2026 mission, technical divers successfully propagated 16 mesophotic coral fragments in the field to start new colonies to help restore habitats injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Credit: NOAA/Dave Witting
Uncrewed Vehicles Hold Promise for Ocean Data Collection in Difficult-to-Reach Areas
A team of ocean researchers sent an uncrewed submarine-shaped vehicle packed with scientific electronics into offshore wind farm areas off southern New England. It could be an important step toward a safe, efficient solution for monitoring marine life and habitats in places where our larger research vessels and aircraft can’t operate.
Learn about the use of uncrewed vehicles to monitor marine life and habitats
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The Exail DriX, an uncrewed surface vehicle, in Narragansett Bay. Credit: NOAA/Michael Jech
Acoustics
Sound is the primary way many marine animals communicate and sense information. We record and analyze underwater sounds with passive acoustic monitoring tools. We deploy echosounders and analyze the resulting sound waves through active acoustics. This information helps us detect and characterize the physical and biological features of ocean areas.
From Sound to Satellites: Reducing Risks to North Atlantic Right Whales with Advanced Technology
Last winter, North Atlantic right whale moms gave birth to the most calves in nearly two decades. While they are feeding in the Northeast this summer, our scientists and partners are monitoring them using advanced technology, including passive acoustics.
Reducing risks to North Atlantic right whales with advanced technology
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Northeast Fisheries Science Center drone imagery of right whale #3593 and her calf in the Southeast. This mom was first seen in 2005 and is only rarely documented by survey teams. She likely spends time in an unknown habitat. Taken under Permit #27066. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Isaac Benaka
Diving Deep into Sperm Whale Clicks
What sperm whale sounds tell us about their population demographics in the Gulf of America.
Take a deeper dive into the science of sperm whale clicks
Remote Sensing and Satellite Data
“Remote sensing” refers to the science of deriving information about the Earth’s land and oceans from images acquired at a distance, such as satellite imaging and aerial photography.
New Satellite Tag Offers Longer Tracking of Baleen Whales
A NOAA-affiliated research scientist pioneered a smaller, longer-lasting satellite tag design that anchors safely in the blubber layer of a whale. This engineering breakthrough improves scientists’ monitoring of baleen whale species.
Learn more about a new satellite tag design that offer longer tracking of baleen whales
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Southern right whale “Harmonia” swimming in the waters off Península Valdés, Argentina. Researchers deployed a new “blubber-only” satellite tag (circled) to monitor the whale’s movements with minimal impact to her health. Image by P. Faiferman/ICB, Courtesy of Alexandre Zerbini/Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, & Ecosystem Studies and NOAA Fisheries. Permits for tag deployment were issued by the Provinces of Chubut and Rio Negro, Argentina.
Tagged and Tracked: Mapping the Journeys of Pacific Cod in the Bering Sea
How do Pacific cod respond to warming seas, and what does it mean for the future of fisheries? Satellite tagging helps scientists track cod migration in Alaska and understand the implications for stock assessments and sustainable management.
Mapping the journeys of Pacific cod in the Bering Sea
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Pacific cod with satellite tag, ready to release. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
Satellite Oceanography
Cutting-edge satellite technology provides NOAA Fisheries scientists and managers with the most accurate data so they can make informed decisions about the management of our marine resources.
Learn more about satellite oceanography
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Optics
“Optics” is the large-scale collection, storage, and processing of images, which helps validate other data sources. Optics plays an important role in helping us to advance data collection using uncrewed systems.
Optics Technology: At the Heart of Marine Research
Videos and images from advanced underwater cameras are a critical component of collecting data. We use this information to make informed management decisions for marine species and habitat.
Explore more about optics technology
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A Spanish hogfish (left) and yellowtail damselfish (right) peek out from a reef in the Gulf of America. Credit: Emma Hikerson/NOAA
NOAA Conducts First Comprehensive Aerial Survey of Ice Seals in the Arctic
Scientists flew more than 24,000 miles over sea ice to study the abundance and distribution of seals in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas. This was the first time the seals’ entire geographic range in U.S. waters was surveyed in one season.
NOAA conducts first comprehensive aerial survey of ice seals in the Arctic
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Aerial image of three spotted seals, collected during the 2025 aerial surveys. A pup is just visible in the darker band of ice to the lower left of one of the adult seals–see inset. Breathing holes in the ice are typically used by ringed seals, but spotted seals will use them occasionally as depicted here, with tracks showing the seals’ movement between holes. Image collected from a survey altitude of 1,000-1,200 feet under the authority of NMFS Permit No. 23858. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.
Omics
‘Omics is the analysis of genetic material obtained from an organism. This genetic material could be extracted directly from an organism or taken from the biological traces that an organism leaves behind, known as environmental DNA analysis. ‘Omics uses a suite of cutting-edge technologies to identify organisms, understand their behavior, and predict shifts in their population structure. This allows NOAA Fisheries to obtain critical data in more efficient and inexpensive ways.
Genetics Shines New Light on Cod Populations and Distributions in Alaska
Researchers identify distinctive genetic stocks of Pacific cod in Alaska and use that information to build a cost-effective genetic tool to answer important ecological questions for the species.
Shining new light on cod populations and distributions in Alaska
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Scientists measure juvenile Pacific cod and extract tissues for genetic analysis. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Johanna Vollenweider
Scientists Breed Sunflower Sea Stars Key to Reviving California’s Imperiled Kelp Forests
With funding from NOAA Fisheries, The Nature Conservancy and its partners are raising sunflower sea stars in hopes of reintroducing them to the wild. This keystone species is critical to kelp forest health.
How breeding sunflower sea stars is key to reviving California’s imperiled kelp forests
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Genomics Help Uncover Mysteries of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
NOAA scientists are using new methods to try to solve the 40-year-old mystery of Atlantic bluefin tuna stock structure and spawning.
How genomics help uncover mysteries of Atlantic bluefin tuna
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A subsample of bluefin tuna larvae collected via net tow from the Slope Sea. The small individuals are about 3 millimeters in length and the larger individuals are about 6 millimeters. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Katey Marancik
eDNA Expands Species Surveys to Capture a More Complete Picture
Casting a genetic net, eDNA identified more marine vertebrates than traditional surveys but has its limits.
Learn how eDNA expands species surveys
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Scientists lower a unit of sampling bottles to collect eDNA.
Genetic Diversity in Alaska Red King Crab May Provide Resilience to Climate Change
New genetic research on the Alaska red king crab reveals previously undiscovered diversity among different regions, suggesting the species is more resilient to climate change and changing ocean conditions.
Genetic diversity in Alaska red king crab may provide resilience to climate change
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Red king crab on the deck of a research vessel. Credit: NOAA Fisheries / Erin Fedewa
From the Archives: More Tech Features
- Empowering Anglers: A New Era for Recreational Fishing Management
- Future of the Catch: the Modernization of Recreational Red Snapper Data Collection
- New System Maps and Charts West Coast Fisheries Data to Inform Decisions on Ocean Uses
- First Joint NOAA Killer Whale Survey Examines Endangered Southern Residents’ Shift to Coast
- Advanced Technologies Improve Protected Species Conservation
Uncrewed Systems
- 2025 Hawaiian sea turtle/seal monitoring field season photo gallery
- Restoration Lab Corals Return to the Seafloor for the First Time
Passive Acoustic Monitoring & Active Acoustics
- The Ocean’s Underwater Ears: Tracking North Atlantic Right Whales Using Sound
- Three-Dimensional Acoustic Tracking Sheds Light on Beaked Whale Dive Behavior and Acoustic Detection
- NOAA Fisheries Launches Underwater Glider Challenge in Hawai‘i
Remote Sensing, Satellite Data, & AI
- A Year in the Life of Larry the Whale Shark
- Follow the Whales: How Tagging Supports Whale Research and Rescue
- Messaging Mariners in Real Time to Reduce North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strikes
- Geospatial Artificial Intelligence For Animals
- Anglers Catch Salmon for Science as Tracking Reveals Risks Facing Adult Fall Chinook
- Faster Analysis of Data to Evaluate Bycatch Reduction Efforts in Pollock Fishery
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