October 28, 2026 –Researchers say a research vessel that went adrift while monitoring a harmful algal bloom in the Gulf of Maine has been recovered, with more details expected soon.
The bright-yellow SeaTrac autonomous vessel lost communications with its operators on Oct. 12 while holding position about 30 nautical miles southeast of Frenchman Bay, Maine. Researchers later offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to its recovery.
Researchers with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and NERACOOS re-established communication with the SeaTrac on Oct. 23, when it was roughly 90 miles off Gloucester, Massachusetts. The vessel has since been recovered.