The prize-winning entries for the WWF 2011 International Smart Gear Competition were announced at the Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle on the 17th November 2011.

This year’s $30,000 grand prize was awarded to Kazuhiro Yamazaki, a captain on a tuna vessel who also received a special tuna prize of $7,500, offered by the International Sustainable Seafood Foundation (ISSF) for the idea that would reduce the amount of bycatch occurring in tuna fisheries – one of the top WWF global fisheries conservation priorities. The design the ‘Yamazaki Double-Weight Branchline’ works by increasing the sinking rate of fishing gear, making it more difficult for seabirds to chase baited hooks. Used in conjunction with other devices it can reduce seabird mortality by almost 90%.

Two runners-up, each receiving $10,000 include the ‘SeaQualizer’, designed to reduce fish mortality in the recreational fishing industry, and the ‘Turtle Lights for Gillnets’, aimed at reducing the capture of marine turtles in gillnets. This device reduced turtle interactions by up to 60% without affecting target catch rates or catch value.

Over the coming year, we will work with the inventors to develop these ideas further, enabling Smarter Fishing.

Learn more about the 2011 Smart Gear winners and how past winners have furthered their fishing gear designs to make difference and reduce the threat of bycatch.