“Fishtek Marine have shown dedicated and outstanding assistance in both terms of scientific discussions, high quality products and capability to adapt to our fisheries needs with high engagement in the field.”
Dr Lotte Kindt-Larsen, DTU Denmark
Our research and development partnerships are mutually beneficial. We learn directly from fishermen, gain insight into government policy needs and understand the conservation goals of NGOs. In return, Fishtek Marine provides expertise on how our technology can be effectively deployed to meet these real-world challenges.
We have found that these research and development partnerships have been a useful two-way street through which we are able to learn directly from fishermen; understand the policy needs of Governments and conservation goals of NGOS. In return Fishtek Marine are able to provide their expertise and knowledge in how our technology can be effectively deployed.
We work closely with academic and University partners because they help expand and strengthen our scientific reach and capability.
Dr Bryce Stewart is a Senior Research Fellow at the Marine Biological Association and Associate Professor at the University of Plymouth and an expert on scallop ecology and fisheries.
“Learning that scallops are attracted to lights was one of the most exciting discoveries I have heard about during my career. I have been delighted to have worked with Fishtek Marine since then, helping them to design and write up their scientific research, and promoting the potential of scallop potting as a low impact and sustainable fishery. Fishtek Marine are true innovators, with the best interests of both the environment and coastal communities at heart.”
Dr Lotte Kindt-Larsen is a research scientist at DTU Aqua, the National Institute of Marine Resources in Denmark and has carried out multiple research trials to understand interactions between fisheries and protected, endangered and threatened species.
“Fishtek Marine have shown dedicated and outstanding assistance in both terms of scientific discussions, high quality products and capability to adapt to our fisheries needs with high engagement in the field.”
Professor Brendan Godley is a conservation scientist specialising in marine vertebrates such as turtles, mammals, birds and sharks.
“Our collaboration with Fishtek Marine has been one of the highlights of my academic career. The company is a truly outstanding partner because they combine deep technical expertise with a genuine passion for conservation. What sets them apart is their ability to take complex ecological challenges and engineer elegant, practical solutions that work in the real world. They are innovators in the truest sense – always willing to listen to the science, engage with fishers, and adapt their designs to ensure the best possible outcomes for both people and wildlife. ”
“Fishtek Marine have shown dedicated and outstanding assistance in both terms of scientific discussions, high quality products and capability to adapt to our fisheries needs with high engagement in the field.”
Dr Lotte Kindt-Larsen, DTU Denmark
Government Fisheries Departments and National Authorities and Research Centres are important partners for us. It is Government policy that sets standards and goals for bycatch reduction and we work closely with associated departments to ensure our devices meet their specifications. In many cases we have worked with Government Authorities to develop and test devices before they are rolled out more widely to fishing industries that operate in their waters.
National and international conservation NGOs have a strong interest in reducing impacts from fishing. We have worked with organisations all over the world to trial our bycatch reduction technology in small scale fisheries. NGOs provide essential funding, local support and community engagement, in turn Fishtek Marine brings their knowledge and expertise in use and deployment of technology and how effective and impactful research studies can be set up.
In Indian and Pakistan we worked alongside WWF to trial the use of pingers to reduce the numbers of river dolphins caught in nets in India and Pakistan and with Prodelphinus in Peru to trial the use of netlights as small scale coastal fisheries for turtle bycatch reduction.
Rory Crawford is a television presenter and former programme lead for the RSPB’s bycatch programme.
“Fishtek Marine have been great collaborators in the fight to eliminate bycatch in fisheries, one of the biggest threats facing seabirds. Devices like LumoLeads elegantly combine seabird bycatch reduction and improved safety for fishing crew. Their work has been innovative, yet savvy to the everyday practicalities of fishing – we’ve found them to be brilliant partners in saving threatened seabirds.”
Dr Robin Snape leads the Society for the Protection of Turtles programme in Northern Cyprus and is a Research Fellow at the University of Exeter.
“We worked closely with Fishtek Marine to develop a durable light that could be used by fishermen in Northern Cyprus. Our trials showed that the light was durable and easily incorporated into fishing gear, and most importantly had a huge impact in reducing the numbers of turtles caught in nets.’
Dr Danielle Kreb is the scientific program leader and co-founder of Yayasan Konservasi Rare Aquatic Species of Indonesia
“I am very grateful for the ongoing technical support received from Fishtek Marine since 2018, when I first asked them to develop a prototype pinger which would deter critically endangered Mahakam River dolphins from gillnets. After three years of trial studies, my organization Yayasan Konservasi RASI started to upscale the distribution of pingers gradually since mid 2020 involving 158 fishermen and 259 actively used pingers, which has led to zero mortality in these fisher’s nets. A win-win for both fishermen and dolphins.”
Dr Uzma Khan is Director of Species Conservation at WWF Pakistan and leader of the river dolphin program.
“It has been a fantastic experience working with Fishtek Marine. Pingers have been able provide an innovative and effective solution to achieve coexistence between fisherfolk and river dolphins. This technology has prevented fishing net entanglements of both Ganges and Indus River dolphins in India and Pakistan. Fishermen like pingers as they have not only helped in improving fish catches but also saved the cost that comes with a dolphin entanglement; loss of the fish catch and damage to the fishing net. It’s a true win–win for both dolphins and the fishing communities that share their river habitats.”
“Fishtek Marine have been great collaborators in the fight to eliminate bycatch in fisheries , one of the biggest threats facing seabirds. Devices like Lumoleads elegantly combine seabird bycatch reduction and improved safety for fishing crew. Their work has been innovative, yet savvy to the everyday practicalities of fishing – we’ve found them to be brilliant partners in saving threatened seabirds.”
Rory Crawford, (RSPB)
External funding has been critical to many of our research and development projects and we have enjoyed collaborative and productive relationships with our external funders to develop bycatch and low impact fishing solutions. Funding has supported early innovation and trials through to iterative development and large scale research. We seek funding independently and in partnership with NGOs and Universities from research grants in the UK to international philanthropic trusts.
Dr Mark Duffy is Principal Marine Advisor at Natural England focusing on sustainable fisheries and use of the marine environment.
“Natural England have supported the development of scallop pots from the exploratory tests in 2021 to the regional trials in 2024. We are excited by the opportunity of this new technique and its potential to provide a viable low-impact alternative to catch scallops. I admire Fishtek Marine’s spirit of innovation and ability to solve technical challenges. They are driven to ensure that their work is underpinned by high quality scientific evidence”
We have worked with fishers all over the world, from individuals using nets on the Ganges and Indus in India and Pakistan to inshore fishers on the coasts of northern Cyprus, Peru and Cornwall to large offshore pelagic tuna fleets operating from South Africa, Hawaii, France and New Caledonia. Through these operations we will learn about how our gear operates in real-world environments. In our experience there are many fishers who are highly motivated to reduce the impact of their activities and are open to trial new techniques and technology.
Remi Mastrangelo
Tuna & Swordfish Longline Fisherman – Montpellier, France
A respected fisher within the SATHOAN fleet, Remi and his vessel are part of the MSC-accredited Bluefin tuna longline fishery. His knowledge of gear types and fishing operations has been instrumental in the development of the latest SharkGuard model, which incorporates induction charging to bring it to commercial viability.
Jon Hayes
Multi-gear fisher (primarily potting) – Cornwall, UK
Jon operates a pot fishery from his 9 metre catamaran, Trevally. Jon was one of the first fishermen to contact Fishtek Marine following the news of our scallop potting discovery and he took part in some of our first trials. Jon has become one of Fishtek’s most experienced operators of scallop pots, helping us develop and refine designs over the last few years and becoming one of the most successful fishermen now commercially using scallop pots.
