Mackay Canada Announces Distribution Agreement With Sofistofish Technologies Ltd.
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Sofistofish Technologies Ltd. (STL), creators of commercial inshore fisheries catch management software, FishTrak, today announces a North American distribution agreement with Mackay Marine Canada, a division of one of the world’s largest marine electronics companies. FishTrak helps inshore fisheries vessels track and manage their catches where they used to use a pencil and scribbler.
The initial species for tracking is lobster (LobTrak), with crab, pollock and other species being added in 2023. “This is a huge step forward not just for us, but for the inshore fisheries sector becoming more digital” says Ken Driscoll, CEO of STL. “We already have captains using the product in the Atlantic Canadian market, and having Mackay Marine as a distributor is validation of the value we’re bringing to the inshore fisheries industry. We see global opportunity for our platform.”
FishTrak is a device that enables a captain to track their fishing more accurately during a season. FishTrak helps them gain critical insights into the best places to catch fish, understand the correlation to sea conditions and better manage their business through an analytics layer. FishTrak will also be eLog compliant under the new Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) electronic catch filing requirements coming into effect in 2024. Says Robert Barkley, president of Mackay Marine Canada, “We were so impressed with not just what FishTrak can do today, but where the company is going. This is a game changer for the inshore commercial fisheries sector.”
FishTrak was the idea of experienced PEI lobster fisherman Kirk Arsenault, who is founder and chief technology officer of STL. Says Kirk, “It hit me one day that there has to be a better way of tracking catches than a pencil and scribbler. Today we have FishTrak reaching a North American market.” FishTrak software is built into a ruggedized tablet and can be mounted inside the wheelhouse and be detached and used elsewhere. “We see our platform as the digital first mate for captains in the near future.” Says founder Kirk Arsenault.
The company is headquartered in Summerside, PEI with support offices in Nova Scotia. About Sofistofish Ltd. (STL) The OceanTech company was founded in Tignish, PEI in 2021 focusing initially on catch management software for lobster, launching LobTrak in early 2022. In 2023, STL will be adding more species including crab and pollock. FishTrak will be eLog compliant in accordance with the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) requirements for 2024.
The company is going beyond catch management to include vessel operations and integration with suppliers, buyers, other OceanTech devices and service providers in the inshore fisheries sector. The company is building the FirstMate Vessel Operating System (vOS) to create the Digital Wheelhouse of the future.
