Ohio christens the R/V Walleye, a new Lake Erie fisheries research boat

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife christened its new research vessel, the R/V Walleye, on Oct. 30 in Sandusky, the agency announced. The 55-foot aluminum-hull boat replaces the aging R/V Explorer at the Sandusky Fisheries Research Station and will work Lake Erie's western basin.

ODNR says the new boat is more stable and easier to handle in Lake Erie's rough conditions, with less noise and vibration for the biologists aboard. It was built starting in 2024 at Andersen Boat Works in Douglas, Mich., and has twin diesel engines, a hydraulic system for setting and hauling trawls and gill nets, slow towing speeds for trawling, a cruising speed just under 20 mph, sonar and covered work space.

The division's trawl, gill net and acoustic surveys feed into the interagency management of Lake Erie sport fish, including the annual sustainable harvest levels for walleye and yellow perch. Biologists also track smallmouth bass and other species for abundance, growth, age, diet and health.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Ohio Department of Natural Resources, via The Outdoor Wire (Nov. 3, 2026).

Photo: ODNR, via The Outdoor Wire.