About Northbay
With 56 years of combined mastery in clawed-lobster biology and cutting-edge technology, we don’t just work with lobsters we understand them. That understanding drives every innovation we create.
Northbay Shellfish Ltd., was established in 1995
Northbay Innovations has been shaped by the long-standing expertise and passion of its founders. Although Dennis Gowland is no longer a partner, he remains a full-time and highly valued member of the team in his role as Consultant, focusing on grant funding and contributing his specialist knowledge as a Marine Biologist. Richard Land continues to bring his deep understanding of lobster behaviour, biology, and innovative technology to the company.
In January 2022, Kenneth H. Norton acquired equity in the company and assumed the position of CEO, taking over leadership from Dennis. This strengthened Northbay Innovations’ strategic direction while ensuring continuity of the scientific and technical expertise that has always defined the organisation.
Collectively, the team’s experience in hatchery operations and on growing is extensive, complemented by specialist knowledge in Nephrops and Panulirus species.
Northbay innovations has also led and been a partner in extensive European projects which has built up an extensive network which includes many European universities involved in lobster research, fisheres, aquaculture businesses and commercial ventures.
Richard Land.
Success is in the execution, and Richard excels at bringing innovative ideas to market. With roots in sustainable aquaculture in North America, the UK, and Europe, Richard is also the innovator behind Aquahive (acquired by Cadman Capital Group in 2017) and the upcoming Lobster Cube & Box’n’Buy systems. Richard is the driving force behind developing the National Oyster Centre in Scotland, dedicated to restoring the Native Flat Oyster to the UK.
Dennis Gowland.
Aquaculture is life, and with 36 years’ experience in shellfish aquaculture, Dennis is a leader in developing strategic opportunities for aquaculture in the UK. He specialises in the setup and running of bivalve mollusc and crustacean hatcheries. Since 1998, he’s led 18 major research projects around genetics, stock recovery, disease, environmental carrying capacity, harmful agents in shellfish, and food safety. Dennis has consulted on many of the lobster projects in the UK Canada and Europe.
Kenneth H. Norton is an experienced operations and energy-sector executive with a strong background in high-volume manufacturing, advanced battery systems and large-scale renewable energy solutions. With specialist expertise in Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), solar integration and emerging clean-energy technologies, he brings a systems-driven, engineering-led approach to organisational leadership.
Kenneth’s career includes overseeing complex manufacturing environments, scaling production processes, and leading cross-functional technical teams skills that translate directly into building reliable, efficient and commercially viable ecological technologies. His deep understanding of battery chemistry, renewable-energy deployment, and system optimisation provides a unique platform for bridging clean-energy innovations with environmental restoration.
Now driving strategy within an aquaculture, biodiversity and eco-solutions company, Kenneth is particularly focused on opportunities where clean energy, carbon-reduction technologies and ecological recovery intersect. He has a strong interest in leveraging renewable-powered systems and emerging carbon-capture approaches to offset the environmental footprint of high-resource industries, including mining, while supporting ecosystem resilience.
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