Innovasea’s Open Letter to the Fish Tracking Community

To the fish tracking community,

As we prepare for another busy research season, I wanted to share some exciting developments.

Throughout my time at Innovasea and now as General Manager, I’ve had the unique opportunity to talk with many of you about your work and our role in supporting your studies. In these conversations, we’ve heard candid, thoughtful feedback about what you need from your technology and from the partners who support your work.

We’ve listened closely. Across regions, species, and study designs, the message was clear: your research depends on long‑term compatibility and steady, meaningful innovation.

We have learned that compatibility means different things depending on the project. For some, it’s the assurance that tagged animals will be detected consistently throughout their lifespan. For others, it’s the ability to collaborate seamlessly with neighbors and regional networks.

Your feedback directly shapes how we move forward.

From ensuring forward‑ and backward‑compatibility across generations of Innovasea receivers and tags, to continuing to build upon our NexTrak solution, we are committed to offering a stable, innovative foundation for the work you’re doing today and in the future.

Some of you told us that the ability to work with equipment from multiple manufacturers is an important aspect of compatibility. This is where OP comes in. At the end of 2026, we’ll offer Open Protocol (OP) support on NexTrak, making it the most compatible receiver on the market. NexTrak will have the OP option when you need it, while continuing to reliably detect the Innovasea tags you and collaborators have in the water today and enabling you to take full advantage of NexTrak innovations, now and as new capabilities are introduced.

Advancing NexTrak goes beyond new hardware. It requires software improvements that keep pace. That’s why continued development of Fathom is a top priority for our team. We’re focusing on the areas you raised most often and investing in updates that improve stability, responsiveness and ease of use. Our goal is to elevate the Fathom experience. First, by delivering a simple, dependable, intuitive data‑management workflow that fits the practical realities of your studies, and second, by strengthening Fathom as a platform for collaboration, data sharing, and data QA. Altogether, this helps you validate more detections and get more value from your data.

Looking ahead, the NexTrak system has an exciting long‑term technology roadmap. Your insight and feedback continue to guide this work. Thank you for your partnership, honesty, and the trust you place in Innovasea. We remain committed to supporting rigorous, meaningful science, and to building alongside this community for the long term.

With appreciation,

Amy Brookman
General Manager, Fish Tracking