Fishing

Fisheries bycatch is the leading threat to many endangered marine mammals including cetaceans, sea turtles, seabirds and certain fish species. Modern fishing gear, often invisible to sight and extremely strong, is very efficient at catching the desired fish species, but also catches anything else in its path. A staggering amount of unwanted marine life is hauled with the catch and then discarded overboard dead or dying.

A competition to reduce bycatch
The 2011 International Smart Gear Competition is a contest to find innovative ways to reduce the amount of fisheries bycatch. Open to anyone from fisherman, backyard inventors and students, the competition runs from March 1 to August 31, 2011.

Why is reducing bycatch important to WWF?
Since the launch of the competition in 2004, Smart Gear has demonstrated that conservation and industry can successfully work together to identify and eventually implement solutions to bycatch issues in different types of fisheries around the world.

“WWF’s goal with the Smart Gear competition is to inspire innovative ideas for environmentally-friendly fishing gear,” stated WWF VP of Fisheries, Bill Fox. “In addition to fishermen losing millions of dollars each year due to bycatch, many other species, sometimes endangered marine life, are unintentionally and needlessly killed by antiquated fishing gear, and it is jeopardizing their survival. This competition identifies real-world fishing solutions that allow fishermen to fish smarter while helping to maintain ocean health.”

Learn More
Learn about official competition rules and instructions on how to enter the competition
Facts about bycatch
Past Smart Gear winners and their designs
Press release