Drone delivers fish eggs to Sakhalin hatchery

A drone delivered fish eggs from a remote area to a hatchery on Sakhalin, the regional government said on October 15. The aircraft covered about 17 kilometres in 17 minutes.

The flight used Brazhnik, developed by Sakhalin designer Eduard Abramov. It carried the eggs from the upper reaches of a river directly to the hatchery.

According to regional authorities, mountainous terrain interfered with a direct radio link. Software prepared for the flight allowed the drone to follow a predetermined route automatically.

The previous 35-kilometre route involved all-terrain vehicles followed by a car journey and took more than an hour.

Nerest chief Alexander Moskalev said the company wanted to shorten delivery times and preserve the eggs. He said the first flight demonstrated that drones could be used in production.

The partners plan to use around ten small drones on the route in 2027, each capable of carrying two to three kilograms of fish eggs.