Further information:
Albin Weckström
Technical Developer (Tmi Albin Weckström / Aalto University Design Factory)
IoT Fish Counter – Real-Time Catch Data from a Trap Net Straight to the Fisherman’s Phone
We make the invisible visible. When fishermen know in real time what is happening inside their fishing gear, unnecessary trips to check the gear can be avoided. Every trip out to sea becomes justified, improving fishing profitability and occupational safety while reducing emissions.
Lack of Information Comes at a Cost – Both in Fishing and in Aquatic Ecosystem Management
Trap-net fishing is a livelihood in which every nautical mile travelled by boat and every hour worked eats into the profit margin. Trap nets are often located far from port, and under current conditions, fishermen must visit them regularly to check the catch, regardless of whether any fish have entered the gear.
This situation poses challenges not only for commercial fishermen (profitability, working hours and safety), but also for fisheries management and research (the quality of catch and fish stock monitoring data), funders and implementers of aquatic ecosystem restoration projects (verifying the effectiveness of restoration measures), and the entire industry, which is expected to reduce emissions without reducing production.
1
Unnecessary Trips to Check Fishing Gear Are Costly
Fishermen cannot know the quantity or composition of the catch until they reach the fishing gear. In practice, a significant proportion of trips are made to empty or nearly empty traps, wasting both fuel and working time.
2
The Green Transition Cannot Advance Without Data
Emissions from fishing are generated primarily by boat journeys at sea.
3
Fishing Has Relied on Traditional Experience-Based Knowledge, for Example, About Fish Movement and Daily Rhythms
Field data generated by technology can replace outdated and incorrect assumptions with facts. For example, salmon move around the clock, and significantly more fish swim out of the fishing gear than previously assumed.
4
Fish Escaping from Fishing Gear Have Represented an Invisible Loss
Fishermen have only been able to see the catch remaining in the gear when it is hauled. Until now, it has not been possible to monitor fish moving into and out of the gear in real time.
5
Existing Monitoring Methods Are Unsuitable for Commercial Fishing
Underwater video monitoring generates data but requires substantial amounts of energy and storage capacity, as well as subsequent manual analysis. This is laborious in research and impractical in a fisherman's everyday work.
6
The Same Challenge Applies to Monitoring Fish Numbers in Fish Passes, Restored Coastal Lagoons and Small Streams
These monitoring efforts still rely largely on manual video analysis or occasional sampling, making it difficult to obtain sufficient, comparable annual data on the effectiveness of restoration measures.
The Solution: An Intelligent IoT Fish Counter
The innovative IoT fish counter is a self-contained device installed in the entrance funnel of a trap net. It identifies every fish swimming through it, estimates its size and swimming direction, and transmits the data to a cloud service over a mobile network. Fishermen can view the results on their phones in real time: how many fish have entered the gear, how many have escaped, their estimated sizes, and the water temperature. Each event is also recorded with an underwater image, estimated fish length, swimming direction and timestamp.
In the cloud service, raw data are processed into an easy-to-understand format, and a clear user interface presents the results in practical, easy-to-use graphs. The technology has been designed for scalable manufacturing: printed circuit boards are ordered fully assembled from a contract manufacturer, while the work carried out in Finland consists of software installation, assembly and testing. This makes small production runs of 5–10 devices possible without heavy industrial infrastructure, with production volumes scalable according to demand.
Key Benefits
Up to Approximately 30% Lower Fuel Consumption Over the Fishing Season
According to the fisherman's estimate from the test season, real-time catch data eliminate unnecessary trips. The savings are reflected directly in fuel costs and carbon dioxide emissions.
Power Consumption Below One Watt Enables Lightweight Batteries and Solar Power
More than a month of operation on a single charge, or an entire season powered by solar panels.
Decisions About Checking the Fishing Gear Are Based on Data, Not Guesswork
Continuous, 24-hour monitoring revealed, among other things, that salmon move throughout the day and night and that a significant proportion of fish leave the fishing gear. This information was previously impossible to observe. During the 2025 test season, the data corresponded well with the actual catch quantities reported by fishermen.
Installation and Maintenance Can Be Carried Out by Fishermen Themselves
The device weighs approximately 3 kg in air and is almost weightless in water. It is attached between frames installed in the fishing gear, without the need for special tools.
Long Service Life and Predictive Maintenance Reduce Total Costs
Zinc anode protection, a disassemblable design, and internal pressure and humidity sensors enable faults to be detected remotely before damage occurs. Repairs can be carried out at component level without replacing the entire device. Spare parts are readily available on the market, ensuring long-term availability.
The Same Technology Also Supports Environmental Monitoring
During a coastal lagoon monitoring trial in 2026, the device recorded approximately 7,000 fish detections in one month, demonstrating its potential for this application as well.
Team
The project is the result of collaboration between the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and Aalto University's Design Factory. Its distinguishing feature is the exceptionally close integration of research, product development and the commercial fishing industry. Development began in Aalto University's Product Development Project (PDP) course in 2020–2021 and has progressed from prototypes to a production-ready version suitable for commercialisation.
The team behind the innovation:
Esa Lehtonen, Specialist, Luke
Extensive experience in areas including fishing gear technology development, reducing seal-related damage, collaboration between researchers and fishermen, and industry cooperation. Responsible for organising field trials and maintaining links with the commercial fishing sector.
Albin Weckström, Technical Developer, Tmi Albin Weckström / Aalto University Design Factory
Technical designer of the device. Responsible for mechanical design, electronics, embedded software and cloud architecture. Led the original PDP team and has taken the product from the prototype stage to a form suitable for series production.
Interested? Get in Touch!
The project's objective is to find an industry partner that will take responsibility for manufacturing, sales and maintenance, in line with the principles governing the commercialisation of publicly funded innovations.
We welcome constructive discussions with the following parties:
- Manufacturing partners and subcontractors capable of producing batches of 5–10 devices and scaling up production according to demand. The device has been designed for manufacture using standard components, without the need for heavy industrial infrastructure.
- Commercialisation partners and distributors with established customer relationships in commercial fishing, fish farming or aquatic ecosystem restoration in Finland, Sweden and elsewhere in the Baltic Sea region.
- Investors and funding partners: We welcome constructive discussions with investors about options for commercialising and internationalising the technology.
- Research and public-sector partners who need comparable, automatically collected data on fish migrations and the effectiveness of restoration measures.
Albin Weckström
Technical Developer (Tmi Albin Weckström / Aalto University Design Factory)