Fish Smarter with Smart Gear
![Credit: NOAA, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Marine Observer Program [200x150, 9.6K]](http://www.cephalopodcast.com/img/pic/pic_070414_NOAA.jpg "A ghastly view of fish squeezed through the net by the tons of fish trapped within the main body of the net.")
The World Wildlife Fund has launched its third annual Smart Gear Competition. They are offering cash prizes for innovative ideas for reducing bycatch. Many non-target species are caught up in the gear, nets and hooks of modern commercial fishing fleets. This effort tries to bring together industry, environmentalist, scientists and educators to find practical solutions.
WWF and our partners created the International Smart Gear Competition to inspire innovative, practical, cost-effective ideas that allow fishermen to “fish smarter” - to better target their intended catch while reducing bycatch. The Competition awards a cash prizes for the best entry to reduce fisheries bycatch, which is the leading threat to many endangered marine mammals, cetaceans, sea turtles, seabirds and certain fish species.
The 2007 International Smart Gear Competition will award a $30,000 Grand Prize and two 10,000 Runner-Up Prizes.
Entry Deadline: July 31, 2007
The competition is open to all - fishermen, professional gear manufacturers, teachers, students, engineers, scientists and backyard inventors.
Please visit www.smartgear.org for entry materials and to learn about the winning ideas from the first two competitions.
- WWF’s International Smart Gear Competition
- TEACH Engineering Lesson Plan: Caught in the Net (4-6)
- Cousteau Ocean Adventures Lesson Plan: How to Catch a Fish lesson, PDF (5-8)
- UA Marine Discovery Lesson Plan: Eat ‘em and weep: Problems involving commercial fishing (5-6)