The South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will launch a drone program to examine marine life in waters surrounding the country.

The ministry announced the plan Friday, saying drones will be used in parts of Jeju Island to complement ongoing coastal surveys from this year.

The ministry has surveyed marine environments since 2006 using land-based cadastral techniques to gather information needed to design policies for coastal regions. But officials have voiced difficulty in analyzing coasts with steep hills and dense plant life. 

The remote surveys will be conducted by analyzing video footage from unmanned aerial vehicles of three measurement points at a surveyed coastal region.