Pesky Fish

What Pesky Fish does

Pesky Fish (legally Whitfish Ltd) is a UK direct-to-consumer online marketplace that sells fresh British seafood sourced directly from approximately 100 inshore fishing vessels, with hand-prepared orders shipped within ~36 hours of landing. Operations include a coastal packing and depuration facility in Burry Port, Wales, for shellfish grading and cleaning, and customer-facing operations center in London; the legal entity is a private limited company incorporated in the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 2017 and reports 1–10 employees, with the marketplace built on Shopify and supported by standard integrations: Stripe and PayPal for payments, Klaviyo for email and daily-landing notifications, Google Analytics and Meta advertising for acquisition, and DPD as the core last-mile courier providing next-day carbon-neutral delivery with 1-hour time slots across mainland UK (with documented exclusions for Northern Ireland, Scottish Highlands, Isle of Wight, Channel Islands, Isles of Scilly and Isle of Man).

The product set spans fresh fish (Bass, Black Bream, Pollack, Hake, Haddock, Monkfish), premium flatfish (Turbot, Brill, Dover Sole, Lemon Sole, Plaice), shellfish (Hand Dived Scallops, Wild Welsh Mussels, Cardigan Bay Prawns, Pot-Caught Octopus, LIVE Welsh Lobsters, Atlantic Edge Rock Oysters), and smoked items (Ullapool salmon, ChalkStream trout). Pesky Fish generates revenue through direct consumer transactions on its marketplace (transaction-fee-style unit pricing by species and weight, typically £5–£100 per item, with a £35 minimum order and £7.99 postage under £50), supplemented by gift cards in £10–£200 denominations. The commercial proposition centers on a Regenerative Fishing Framework articulated in a published white paper, complete boat-to-plate traceability, low-impact catch methods, recyclable packaging, and a 40+ recipe content library. Distribution is exclusively online and single-territory (mainland UK), with no disclosed channel or geographic expansion and no disclosed revenue, funding beyond two Techstars engagements (2018 and 2020), or named enterprise customers.

Name

Pesky Fish

Legal name

Whitfish Ltd

Website

https://peskyfish.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pesky Fish is a UK direct-to-consumer online marketplace selling fresh British seafood sourced from 100+ inshore fishing vessels, with same-week delivery and full boat-to-plate traceability. It targets sustainability- and freshness-oriented individual consumers in mainland UK via a Shopify storefront.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Fresh Seafood Marketplace

NAICS

Fish and Seafood Retailers (445250), Fish and Seafood Retailers (44525)

SIC

Retail-Food Stores (5400), Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092)

akta.pro primary industry

Seafood Markets & Fishmongers (CRAHAHAC)

Keywords

• Online seafood marketplace
• Fresh fish delivery
• Sustainable seafood retail
• British fish marketplace
• Direct-to-consumer seafood

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Seafood Sales: Pesky Fish generates revenue through direct consumer sales of fresh seafood products purchased online. Customers buy individual fish species, shellfish, and prepared seafood products with prices ranging from approximately £5-100 depending on product and weight. The company ships products directly from fishermen to consumer, with delivery fees applied on orders under £50.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pesky Fish operates an online marketplace that sells fresh British seafood directly from a network of over 100 fishing vessels and shellfish producers to mainland UK consumers. Customers browse daily landings of fish, shellfish, smoked seafood, and live shellfish on the Shopify storefront, with orders graded, packed at the Burry Port facility, and shipped via DPD within approximately 36 hours of catch, supported by a recipe blog and digital gift cards.

Product overview

Pesky Fish operates an online fresh fish marketplace built on Shopify, selling British seafood direct from fishermen to consumers. The core offering includes fresh fish (Bass, Black Bream, Pollack, Hake, Haddock, Monkfish), premium flatfish (Turbot, Brill, Dover Sole, Plaice), shellfish (Scallops, Mussels, Lobsters, Oysters, Prawns, Octopus), and smoked products (Ullapool Salmon, ChalkStream Trout). Products are sold alongside a Recipe Blog for meal inspiration and Pesky Gift Cards for gifting. All products feature complete traceability from individual boats to catch date, caught using low-impact methods from sustainable stocks, delivered within 36 hours in recyclable packaging.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Fresh Fish Marketplace An e-commerce marketplace on the Shopify storefront selling fresh British seafood direct from fishermen and shellfish producers with full traceability from catch to plate, featuring daily landings and delivered within ~36 hours.
• LIVE Welsh Lobsters Live lobsters from the Welsh Potted Fleet, available in 400g to 2kg sizes, delivered with seawater blanket packaging; a standalone SKU on the Pesky Fish marketplace.
• Atlantic Edge Rock Oysters Premium Atlantic Rock Oysters sourced from dense sea grass areas, marketed as a distinct fresh-tasting product; listed as a standalone SKU on the Pesky Fish marketplace.
• Line Caught Pollack Fillets Exclusive line-caught pollack fillets sourced from Devon and the Scottish North Sea, iced immediately after catch for clean quality and listed as a standalone SKU on the marketplace.
• Wild Bass Wild bass caught by rod and line or static nets off the South and South West coast of Wales, air-dried for 8 hours before delivery; listed as a standalone SKU on the marketplace.
• Pesky Gift Cards Digital gift cards available in denominations of £10, £25, £50, £75, £100, and £200 for gifting British regenerative seafood to friends and family.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products delivered within 36 hours of landing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DPDcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDPD is the primary courier partner for Pesky Fish, handling all customer deliveries across mainland UK. They provide next-day delivery service with tracking, 1-hour time slot notifications, and options for safe place or neighbor delivery. The partnership supports Pesky's commitment to carbon neutral delivery with an ever-growing electrified fleet.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Cornish Fishmonger: UK-based online seafood retailer delivering fresh Cornish and British seafood direct to consumers' doors. Directly comparable DTC model with emphasis on provenance and daily catch, competing for the same sustainability-minded British seafood buyer.
• The Fish Society: Long-standing UK online seafood retailer offering fresh and frozen fish and shellfish delivered nationwide. Directly comparable DTC seafood marketplace serving UK households, with similar product breadth and nationwide fulfillment.
• Wright Brothers: UK shellfish and seafood specialist with both retail counters and online sales delivering fresh British shellfish (oysters, mussels, crab) to consumers. Comparable DTC channel combined with restaurant/retail heritage in British seafood.
• Fishmarket: Online fresh fish marketplace delivering day-boat catch from British ports directly to UK consumers. Closely comparable DTC model with daily-landings concept, vessel-level traceability, and nationwide chilled delivery.
• Sole of Discretion: UK community-supported fishery delivering sustainably caught, fully traceable British seafood directly to members. Closely comparable in regenerative/sustainable positioning, vessel traceability, and direct-to-consumer subscription model.
• Wildfish Direct: Online retailer of fresh, day-boat British wild fish delivered UK-wide. Closely comparable DTC channel, wild-catch focus, and vessel-level provenance messaging.

Broad incumbents

• Abel & Cole: Established UK organic grocery box delivery service including sustainably sourced fish among broader fresh produce. Comparable DTC online grocery model with subscription/regular ordering, but operates across many food categories rather than seafood only.
• Riverford Organic Farmers: Major UK organic farm-to-door delivery service with a smaller seafood range alongside produce boxes. Comparable DTC direct-from-producer model with weekly delivery cadence, though seafood is not the core offering.
• HelloFresh: Global meal-kit subscription service including seafood recipes and pre-portioned fish kits in the UK. Adjacent DTC food delivery serving the same household cooking occasion with a recurring-order mechanic.

Regional players

• Mousa Fish: Independent Scottish online fishmonger delivering fresh Scottish seafood to UK addresses. Comparable fresh-seafood DTC model with similar vessel/provenance storytelling, though anchored in Scottish waters and ports.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pesky_fish
• Facebookfacebook.com/peskymarketplace
• Instagraminstagram.com/pesky_fish/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pesky Fish