The U.S. Coast Guard will have an extra tool on the water this year.

This will be the first year the Great Lakes will have sail drones deployed. The 30-foot drones will be used as an extra patrol, helping to watch out for potential safety or legal issues. They’re being used in other areas to monitor fisheries and help in the fight against illegal smuggling.

UAS Program Manager Anthony Popiel says the drones are always under the control of a pilot.

“These are environmentally safe vessels,” Popiel said. “They’re wind-powered, solar-powered. They are monitored 24-7. They’ve got remote pilots that manage the movement of the drones, so they’re always under careful watch.”

Popiel says they’ve used the drones for multiple reasons.

“They’ve been farther offshore. We’re also using them in New England to monitor fisheries grounds. And we know we needed help improving our maritime domain awareness, and we thought this would be a good opportunity to test this asset on the Great Lakes.”

Popiel adds it’s important to remember to give the drones plenty of space to work. You should maintain the same distance between the drones as you do with any other Coast Guard vessel.