Fishtek Marine
Fishtek Marine is a UK-based conservation engineering company that designs, manufactures, and deploys bycatch-mitigation technology, including acoustic pingers, LED fishing lights, and physical deterrents, serving commercial fishing fleets, energy companies, and conservation organisations across 40+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersTotnes, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Fishtek Marine does
Fishtek Marine is a UK-based conservation engineering company that designs, manufactures, and supplies technology for reducing bycatch and improving the sustainability of commercial fishing and marine operations. Founded approximately 20 years ago with the legal entity Fishtek Marine Ltd established in 2016 and headquartered in Dartington, Totnes, the company employs 16 people combining mechanical engineering, fisheries science, manufacturing, and project management expertise. Its product portfolio centres on three technology families: acoustic deterrent devices (pingers) including the Banana Pinger and Anti-Depredation Pinger for cetacean bycatch and dolphin depredation; LED fishing lights (ScallopLight, PotLight Pro, NetLight, ProGlow) for species attraction or deterrence; and physical deterrents (SharkGuard, Hookpod, LumoLeads, ScallopEye) for shark, seabird, and pot-entrance applications. The company also developed a self-powered Acoustic Fish Deterrent (AFD) for marine infrastructure cooling water intakes, deployed at EDF Energy's Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.
Fishtek Marine generates revenue primarily through hardware product sales to commercial fishing operations, energy companies, and conservation organisations, supplemented by specialist consulting services for technology design, bycatch reduction research, and custom solutions. Products are custom-engineered and quoted individually rather than sold at standard published price points. The go-to-market is collaborative and sales-led: the company works directly with individual fishers, large fishing fleets, NGOs, universities, and government bodies to co-design, trial, and deploy technology, with distribution via MSC-accredited fleets and regional representatives in Europe, Latin America, Indonesia, and the Pacific. Reported trial outcomes demonstrate effectiveness of 86-100% across cetacean, turtle, seabird, and shark bycatch contexts, with peer-reviewed validation from Swansea University, DTU Aqua, University of Exeter, and others.
The company maintains strategic partnerships with EDF Energy, BirdLife International, WWF, RSPB, DEFRA, Natural England, the International Whaling Commission, and the European Commission, and has received grant funding from the UK Seafood Innovation Fund, Schmidt Family Foundation, and Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. Its technology is deployed across 40+ countries, and the founders Pete and Ben Kibel continue to lead the company as Managing Director and Director of Engineering respectively, indicating a founder-controlled, privately-held structure without disclosed institutional venture investment.
Fishtek Marine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fishtek Marine
- Legal name
- Fishtek Marine Ltd
- Website
- https://fishtekmarine.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Fishtek Marine is a UK-based conservation engineering company that designs, manufactures, and deploys bycatch-mitigation technology, including acoustic pingers, LED fishing lights, and physical deterrents, serving commercial fishing fleets, energy companies, and conservation organisations across 40+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fishtek Marine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Marine Bycatch Mitigation and Sustainable Fishing Equipment
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marine Sensors, Instrumentation & IoT (Condition Monitoring) (IMAJAJAI)
Keywords
Where Fishtek Marine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Totnes
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Fishtek Marine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Product Sales - Bycatch Mitigation Devices: Sale of hardware products including acoustic deterrent devices (pingers), LED lights for fishing gear, and specialized fishing pot technology to fishing operations, energy companies, and conservation organisations.
- Specialist Consulting Services: Technology design, bycatch reduction and research capabilities provided to clients requiring custom solutions for fisheries and marine infrastructure challenges.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom quotation for products and services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Fishtek Marine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fishtek Marine designs, tests, and manufactures specialized marine technology hardware including acoustic deterrent devices (pingers) for cetacean bycatch reduction, LED light systems for fishing gear (ScallopLight, NetLight, PotLight), and engineered fishing pot technology (ScallopEye). The company also develops marine infrastructure solutions such as self-powered ultrasonic Acoustic Fish Deterrent (AFD) systems for power station cooling water intakes. Products are sold to commercial fishing operations, energy companies, and conservation organisations across more than 40 countries.
Product overview
Fishtek Marine is a conservation engineering company that designs, tests, and manufactures marine technology products for reducing bycatch and improving fishing sustainability. The product portfolio centers on acoustic deterrent devices (pingers) including the Banana Pinger and Anti-Depredation Pinger for cetacean mitigation; LED fishing lights such as ScallopLight, PotLight/Pro, NetLight, and ProGlow for various species attraction or deterrence; physical deterrent devices including SharkGuard, Hookpod, and LumoLeads for seabird and shark bycatch reduction; and the ScallopEye pot entrance system. The company also offers marine infrastructure solutions like the Acoustic Fish Deterrent (AFD) system for power station cooling water intakes. Products serve fisheries, marine operators, energy companies, and conservation organizations across over 40 countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Hinkley Point C sea trials: >90% of Shad excluded from intake heads with AFDs deployed vs control
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Fishtek Marine
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Fishtek Marine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature10 records
Fishtek Marine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
21 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Hookpod LtdcoreJoint venture incorporated in 2013 with Birdlife International to develop and commercialise Hookpod seabird deterrent technology for longline fishing operations worldwide.
- Swansea UniversitycoreAcademic partner conducting sea trials of Acoustic Fish Deterrent systems. Dr David Clarke's team monitored fish trials at Hinkley Point C intake heads during summer 2025.
- EDF EnergycoreClient and partner for Hinkley Point C nuclear power station fish protection project. Commissioned development of Acoustic Fish Deterrent system for cooling water intakes.
- DTU Aqua (Denmark)coreNational Institute of Marine Resources in Denmark. Dr Lotte Kindt-Larsen has carried out multiple research trials on interactions between fisheries and protected species.
- University of ExetercoreAcademic partner for NetLight development with Society for the Protection of Turtles. Dr Ryan Lo for conservation science collaboration.
- Society for the Protection of Turtles (SPOT)coreNorthern Cyprus conservation NGO. Worked with Fishtek Marine to develop durable light for fishing gear. Dr Robin Snape leads the turtle programme and is Research Fellow at University of Exeter.
- WWFcoreInternational conservation organisation. Partnership to trial pingers for river dolphin protection in India and Pakistan, reducing dolphin bycatch in gillnets.
- Pro Delphinus (Peru)corePeruvian conservation organisation. Partnership to trial NetLight for turtle bycatch reduction in small-scale coastal fisheries.
- RSPB (UK)coreRoyal Society for the Protection of Birds. Partnership to develop above water bird deterrent devices and seabird bycatch reduction technology.
- Natural EnglandcoreGovernment body supporting scallop pot development from exploratory tests in 2021 through regional trials in 2024. Dr Mark Duffy is Principal Marine Advisor.
- DEFRAcoreDepartment for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. Government policy partner setting standards and goals for bycatch reduction.
- BirdLife InternationalcoreInternational bird conservation organisation. Dr Ben Sullivan worked with BirdLife International to develop Hookpod concept in 2013.
- International Whaling CommissioncoreIntergovernmental body regulating whaling. Partner for cetacean bycatch research and mitigation standards.
- European CommissioncoreEU policy partner for fisheries and marine environment regulations and standards.
- Marine Biological Association / University of PlymouthcoreDr Bryce Stewart is Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor. Expert on scallop ecology and fisheries supporting scallop potting development.
- Sathoan Fleet (France)coreFrench tuna longline fleet with MSC-accredited Bluefin tuna fishery. Remi Mastrangelo's vessel part of this fleet for SharkGuard development.
- ORPAGU (Organizacion de Palangreros Guardeses)coreSpanish longline fishing organisation partner for bycatch reduction technology trials.
- ARVI (Cooperativa de Armadores de pesca del puerto de Vigo)coreSpanish fishing cooperative partner for technology deployment in commercial fisheries.
- Yayasan Konservasi RASI (Indonesia)coreIndonesian conservation organisation working on Mahakam River dolphin protection. Dr Danielle Kreb's organisation distributed pingers to 158 fishermen from mid-2020.
- ICAPO (Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative)coreRegional initiative for hawksbill turtle conservation in the Eastern Pacific.
- Blue Marine FoundationcoreUK-based marine conservation charity. Awarded Fishtek Marine Ocean Awards 2023 and partners on sustainable fisheries projects.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Fishtek Marine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Kongsberg Maritime: Division of Kongsberg Group building marine electronics, sonar and acoustic systems for commercial vessels, offshore and naval markets. Comparable as a marine instrumentation incumbent whose portfolio could absorb bycatch mitigation functionality.
- Teledyne Marine: Teledyne Technologies' marine group, supplying sonar, acoustic imaging and oceanographic instruments globally. Comparable as a broad incumbent in marine acoustic and sensing technology with overlapping customer segments.
- Garmin Marine: Marine electronics arm of Garmin, supplying chartplotters, sonar (fishfinders) and vessel electronics to recreational and commercial fishing fleets. Comparable as a broad marine-electronics incumbent that already sells acoustic sensing hardware to fishing customers.
- Simrad: Marine electronics brand (within Navico/Kongsberg) producing fishfinders, sonars and navigation systems for commercial and sportfishing. Comparable as an established sonar/marine electronics vendor with overlapping fisheries customer base.
Direct peers
- Wildlife Acoustics: US-based designer and manufacturer of bioacoustic recording and analysis systems used to monitor wildlife, including marine species. Comparable through its use of acoustic technology for animal detection, the same underlying physics as Fishtek's deterrent devices.
- EdgeTech: Manufacturer of marine sonar, sub-bottom profilers and acoustic releases for commercial, defence and scientific customers. Comparable as a specialist in marine acoustic instrumentation with overlapping end-markets in offshore infrastructure and environmental monitoring.
- Imagenex Technology: Canadian designer and manufacturer of multibeam and imaging sonars for underwater applications. Comparable as a niche marine acoustic instrumentation specialist serving similar inspection and environmental customers.
- Sound Metrics: US maker of high-resolution imaging sonars (DIDSON/ARIS) used for fisheries monitoring, dam fish passage and marine mammal observation. Directly comparable as acoustic-imaging technology used to study and manage fish-marine mammal interactions.
Emerging players
- Fauna Photonics: Danish startup developing optical and acoustic sensors for automated wildlife detection and monitoring, including seabird-strike applications. Comparable as an emerging conservation-tech company applying novel sensing to bycatch and wildlife-conflict mitigation.
- AquaScan: Norwegian producer of fish-counting and sizing equipment for aquaculture and wild fisheries. Comparable as a niche marine instrumentation player addressing fisheries productivity and sustainability, with potential overlap in sensor-driven fisheries management.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Fishtek Marine social profiles
Digital presenceFishtek Marine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fishtek Marine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles20 records
Fishtek Marine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fishtek Marine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fishtek Marine
What does Fishtek Marine do?
Fishtek Marine designs, tests, and manufactures specialized marine technology hardware including acoustic deterrent devices (pingers) for cetacean bycatch reduction, LED light systems for fishing gear (ScallopLight, NetLight, PotLight), and engineered fishing pot technology (ScallopEye). The company also develops marine infrastructure solutions such as self-powered ultrasonic Acoustic Fish Deterrent (AFD) systems for power station cooling water intakes. Products are sold to commercial fishing operations, energy companies, and conservation organisations across more than 40 countries.
Is Fishtek Marine a public or private company?
Fishtek Marine is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Fishtek Marine founded?
Fishtek Marine was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Fishtek Marine based?
Fishtek Marine is headquartered in Totnes, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Fishtek Marine make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Product Sales - Bycatch Mitigation Devices are the primary driver. The others are specialist Consulting Services.
Who are Fishtek Marine's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Kongsberg Maritime, Teledyne Marine, Garmin Marine and Simrad. Direct peers are Wildlife Acoustics, EdgeTech, Imagenex Technology and Sound Metrics. Emerging players are Fauna Photonics and AquaScan.
Does Fishtek Marine have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fishtek Marine.
What industry is Fishtek Marine in?
Fishtek Marine's product category is Marine Bycatch Mitigation and Sustainable Fishing Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAJAJAI, Marine Sensors, Instrumentation & IoT (Condition Monitoring). Its SIC code is 3823.