Our Markets

Fisheries

Other Applications

Fisheries

Conventional Pots and Traps

Our products are the result of years of field testing and improvement to meet the needs of the most demanding fixed gear fisheries in the world – Canadian snow crab, Alaskan king crab, North Atlantic lobster and Australian deep sea crab. Whether fishing longlined (trawled) traps or singles, our customers haul faster and with less fuel by locating their gear quickly and consistently. Our buoys work great for recreational gear too!

Alaskan snow crab traps stacked on vessel

Fishers save up to 45 min per string of gear

On-demand Gear

We have partnered with the emerging on-demand gear market for more than 5 years, working closely with both NOAA and the Canadian DFO as key enabling technology in their trials of on-demand gear. Our depth-rated Smart Buoy provide a critical gear marking function both on scheduled releases of gear to the surface and as a safeguard for accidental releases. We are compatible with all major on-demand gear technologies from lift-bags to galvanic timers, and our cloud database offers a central means of tracking and recording data across manufacturers and vessels.

Smart buoy rigged on on-demand unit

Smart Buoys are required equipment for lobster fishing during whale-related closures in New England

Longlines

Farallon Buoys offer longliners an unmatched combination of durability, functionality, battery life and reliability, whether for drifting or bottom-longlining applications. Pairing Iridium satellite and radio communication ensures unmatched reliability as well as last mile accuracy all through the convenience of your existing on-board plotter.

Smart Buoy floating with large fishing buoy in BC

Smart Buoys transmit using Iridium: the world’s most reliable satellite network

Deep-set Gear

Our Farallon Smart Buoys are the ideal complement to the deep-set buoy gear. We take the stress out of monitoring buoys, especially at nightfall, in bad weather or when battling multiple fish with real time tracking and alerts. See video for more detail on our work with the new Southern California deep-set swordfishery.

Customers save up to 5 hours a day recovering their gear

Anchored FADs

Smart Buoy offer the durability and reliability that has otherwise limited ability of fisheries regulators in the Southwest Pacific to monitor their anchored fish aggregating devices ‘aFAD’ programs that provide a valuable source of sustainable seafood for local fishing communities. Our alerts provide important insights into their remote locations while our flexible interfaces allow everyone from dayboat fishers to regulatory fleet managers access to the information they need.

Fisher in Vanuatu deploying long string of FAD buoys rigged with Smart Buoy

Smart Buoys monitor aFADs year-round, even during typhoon season

Aquaculture

Remote kelp and shellfish farms rely on Blue Ocean Gear to provide them with insights on the movements of their arrays, ocean conditions, and alerts in event that lines are broken. We’ve helped kelp farmers in Alaska and shellfish farmers in Cape Breton keep track of their crops through the longest winters.

Smart Buoys offer farmers an affordable tool to monitor their remote operations

Research equipment

Our durable buoys and flexible interfaces make our products an ideal fit for researchers looking for a reliable way to track valuable assets like acoustic arrays and survey gear. We are also a supplier of multiple whale rescue teams who have chosen our compact buoy as a safer alternative (for both whales and humans) that their existing tracking beacons. We are proud to count national and state level governments around the world as customers.

Smart Buoy floating in Arctic fjord

Smart Buoys are the tracking buoy of choice for scientists in the most challenging conditions