The bycatch communication network newsletter was an initiative of judges (myself included) from the first WWF SmartGear (www.smartgear.org <http://www.smartgear.org/> ) competition in February 2005. The idea was to produce a newsletter to share developments, projects and issues on marine bycatch. There are currently 100 subscribers from 20 countries, the first issue was distributed in April and the second is due in early August. Articles from the first issue included: * Fishing gear involved in entanglements of right and humpback whales (US) * Shark oil: solution to longline seabird bycatch? (AUS) * Project GLOBAL: global bycatch assessment project (US) * North Atlantic Right Whale funding opportunities along the east coast of the U.S. * Atlantic coast states cooperative planning for right whale recovery program (US) * BirdLife International launches Albatross Task Force (UK) * Gulf of Carpentaria Ghost Nets Program (AUS) * Regional fisheries management organisations: their central role in reducing bycatch on the high seas and need for input from bycatch specialists (UK) * Techniques to reduce wildlife bycatch in wild fisheries of Australia: web-linked database (AUS) * The Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction (USA) If you would like to subscribe to the mailing list, contribute an article to the second edition or receive a PDF copy of the first edition, please email ejb@bigpond.net.au. Thanks, Emma Bradshaw P: +61 (7) 5514 6021 M: 0416 031 402 P.O. Box 1473 Oxenford, QLD 4210 AUSTRALIA