Current,
technology that works as hard as fishermen do.
Timeline:
20 weeks
Role:
UX/UI Designer
Year:
SCAD Winter & Spring 2026
Our fisheries are at their breaking point. Current is here to change that.
Commercial fishermen are the backbone of our seafood supply. But they're working with tools from decades ago. Fishermen’s learned expertise is not enough to keep up with today's shifting fish populations, increased regulations, and the lack of visibility into demand and pricing.
Current modernizes fishermen’s tools without interfering with the expertise and tradition that define the profession. Our wearable device automates catch reports and delivers safety and location updates at sea. AI-optimized routes increase catch reliability and tell fishermen what they'll earn before leaving the dock. Direct buyer connections ensure every catch already has a buyer waiting.
It was a hard way to make a good living, and now it just became a hard way to make a living. Which is unfortunate, since I was hoping to go for a few more years.
Retired Life-Long Fishermen
Portland, ME
As oceans warm, fish migrate to new waters, leaving fishermen who've spent decades mastering a region starting over from scratch.
Learning new fishing grounds can take up to five years before catches become sustainable again.
It took me five years to figure out new waters. First four years, I got nothing.
Fisherman,
Portland ME
Current takes the guesswork out of locating fish. By analyzing weather conditions, buyer demand, fuel costs, and real-time fish movement, the app recommends the optimal route and gives fishermen a clear picture of what they're expected to spend and earn before they leave the dock.
From calls with fishermen, we learned that their routes must show the weather, cost of trip, and coordinates of where to go and where their traps are placed.
Fishermen are forced to log all of their catches for conservation efforts. These are typically logged by hand while they are at sea and typed into spreadsheets later.
Many of the records that conservation relies on aren’t accurate and are months old.
Every year we got to do catch reports for every single trip... For the government, it’s accurate. In reality, it’s approximate.
Fisherman,
Portland ME
Current’s analog device automatically logs catches for you. By speaking specific catch information into our physical device, Current AI will recognize and log all of the details. The device is designed to clip onto fishermen’s waders, is built with Starlink access, has battery life to last multiple days at sea, can sustain saltwater, and can be used with thick gloves on.
All information the device logs is complied into a detailed report that is ready for submission to local and federal governments. Fishermen can review their reports, correct any errors the device may have missed, and chat directly with an AI that breaks down what went well and what to do differently next time, saving fishermen time and providing them with organized and valuable data.
Fishermen have no way of knowing what their catch is worth until they're back on shore. By then, it's too late to negotiate.
Wharf managers set prices with no input from buyers or distributors, costs shift daily with no warning.
Buyers have no visibility into what's being caught nearby, leading to mismatched requests and wasted catches.
Biggest challenge is finding the right buyer at the right time with the right product and the right price.
Commercial Fisherman
Portland, ME
Most of these guys don’t even know what the real market price is, they just hear the boat price over the radio and that’s what they get.
Lobster Distributor
Portland, ME
Without direct connections between fishermen, buyers, and restaurants, the entire supply chain relies on radio announcements and word-of-mouth. Restaurants can't confirm whether orders will arrive on time, or at all. The result is lower profits, wasted product, and people leaving the industry entirely.
Current sees what fishermen catch, what buyers demand, and what wharf managers price, creating a transparent system that connects all three parties, while predicting earning and demand. These predictions feed into fishermen’s routes and informs fishermen of what fish will be worth before it’s caught. It also gives buyers the context they need to place competitive bids, as they can see what other buyers are spending.
Buyers start by submitting what species they need and when. This flows directly to fishermen before they head out, so they're targeting catches that already have a buyer waiting.
As catches come in throughout the day, buyers can browse available fish across multiple fishermen and species in real time, and place a bid on exactly what they need. Fishermen can review competing bids, choose who they sell to, and can check average wharf prices across the market to know exactly whether a bid is worth taking.
Once a bid is accepted, it becomes an order. Fishermen track all active orders and message buyers directly to coordinate delivery, replacing the radio calls and word-of-mouth that the industry still runs on today.
If your app talks directly to the chart plotter and syncs at the dock so the data goes home with the fisherman, that’s a huge success for them.
Marine Technologist
Cape Cod, MA
Most commercial fishermen already have a chartplotter installed on their boat with Starlink access integrated. We designed Current to work both on the chart plotter and a personal desktop, allowing fishermen to access their routes and bids wherever they are.
Your hitting the areas that really matter to these guys. This is solving problems that are absolutely important to working fishermen.
Marine Technologist
Cape Cod, MA
Current’s design aims to balance human warmth with digital precision. While pixel structures, mapping visuals, and interface fragments represent intelligent tools working quietly in the background.
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Bagoss Collection
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Geist
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Geist Pixel
The team keeping fishermen current.