Being an entrepreneur is all about finding the right niche for you. Once you’re in it, you can choose your angle, establish yourself in the market, and pull ahead of the competition.
One arena where entrepreneurial spirit could bloom in 2025? The commercial fishing industry.
As a sector, it’s pretty unique. It comes with a need for sustainable fishing practices, new cutting marine edge tech, and more reliable tech suppliers. It’s hard work, but with space for everyone, it’s profitable.
And it could be easier than ever to build and scale a new fishing venture. Here are just a few of the best innovations in recent years that have made commercial fishing a safe bet for entrepreneurs.
Ship Engines That Last Longer
One of the biggest expenses for all commercial fishing companies is their ship maintenance. Keeping trawlers, ferries, and deep-sea vessels in good condition can cost hundreds of thousands per year.
Engines, in particular, are big troublemakers. Concerns like overheating are common, and this risk could cause damage to all internal ship systems.
Plus, the longer a ship is at sea, the more wear and tear the engine will go through. This issue itself can cause profit loss. If a boat is docked for maintenance, it’s not on the water. If it has to regularly pull in for maintenance, that’s a lot of downtime to try and account for.
But innovations in ship part manufacturing have helped to solve problems like overheating. Engine suppliers have found success using in-built cooling functions, with devices like a Marine Water Pump. A pump like this allows a boat to make use of sea water, which efficiently cools down the system.
But there’s another bonus to this innovation as well: it ensures no cooling fluid or gel needs to be taken on expeditions. This means less weight for the ship to carry, and no need to stop for cooling refuels. Both of these things make a trawl cheaper!
Cameras on Nets
Around 200 million tonnes of seafood are shipped around the world every single year. It’s a strong market, with a high demand across all continents.
But the risk of overfishing runs incredibly high as well. That’s why nets with monitor cameras have been such an important innovation.
This allows fisher crews to see what’s been caught before the net is trawled out of the ocean. They can spot what fish are in the catch, as well as how many, meaning they can easily meet quotas without going over.
This also means that only adult fish are hauled in, ensuring the next generation of the species is left to grow and reproduce. If any other animals have been trawled up, they can be immediately released and won’t form part of the catch.
Commercial fishing innovations are very promising for modern entrepreneurs. It’s a distinct market with a lot of tech to get to grips with, but it could be a sustainable and profitable area to invest in long term.
