Please post this to the MarMam listserve. Thanks, Kim

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A SMART idea to reduce bycatch could net you USD 25,000!

WWF and our partners launched the second International Smart Gear Competition this week. Intended to inspire and reward innovative ideas to reduce bycatch, the competition invites entries from all over the world. The Competition will award a USD 25,000 grand prize and two USD 5,000 prizes. Entries for the 2006 Competition are due MARCH 15, 2006. PLEASE help us spread the word by sharing this information with anyone that you think might want to enter.

Visit www.smartgear.org for official rules, entry form and additional information. Please note that there are competition materials available in Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Russian and Mandarin. However, all entries must be submitted in English.

If you have questions about the competition, please contact me or Rodrigo Donadi at rodrigo.donadi@wwfus.org or 202-778-9757.

Thanks,

Kimberly S. Davis Deputy Director Marine Conservation Program World Wildlife Fund 1250 24th Street NW Washington DC 20037 202-861-8367 www.worldwildlife.org kimberly.davis@wwfus.org

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World Wildlife Fund Launches 2006 Competition for Fishing Gear that Reduce Accidental Marine Life Deaths

$25,000 Grand Prize for "Smart Gear" that Lowers Bycatch Rate

For further information: Sarah Janicke, 202/778-9685 or Kerry Zobor, 202/778-9509

WASHINGTON-World Wildlife Fund today announced the launch of the second WWF International Smart Gear Competition. The contest seeks innovative fishing gear that reduces marine bycatch-the accidental catch and related deaths of marine mammals, birds, sea turtles and non-target fish species in fishing gear such as nets and longlines.

"World Wildlife Fund's looking for real-world fishing solutions that allow fishermen to fish 'smarter'-better targeting their intended catch while safeguarding the dolphins, sea turtles and other marine life often caught unintentionally," said Ginette Hemley, vice president, species conservation, World Wildlife Fund. "This unique collaboration among conservationists, fishermen and scientists is designed to inspire new technologies for more sustainable fishing."

The international competition will award a $25,000 grand prize and two $5,000 runner-up prizes to the designs judged to be the most practical, cost-effective methods for reducing bycatch of any species. The competition is open to eligible entrants from any background-including fishermen, professional gear manufacturers, teachers, students, engineers, scientists and backyard inventors. Instructions for entry along with the competition rules are available at www.smartgear.org and completed entries must be submitted by March 15, 2006.

Conventional fishing gear does often not allow users to selectively target their catch. As a result, non-target fish species, marine mammals, birds, sea turtles and non-target fish species are caught and sometimes killed. More than 25 percent of what is caught in the course of fishing - as much as 20 million metric tons, annually-is thrown over the sides of fishing boats dead or dying. This bycatch is the leading threat to many endangered marine mammals, sea turtles and sea birds around the world.

"The WWF International Smart Gear Competition aims to stop one of the biggest threats to healthy marine ecosystems and related economic losses to fishermen," said Hemley of World Wildlife Fund. "We hope this competition harnesses the creativity and ingenuity of fishermen, scientists and the public to reduce the waste caused by inefficient gear."

Last year, WWF awarded three new practical solutions to marine bycatch: a system for keeping longlines away from sea turtles by a former high-school biology teacher and commercial fisherman; changes to the chemical properties of fishing ropes and nets by a North American team; and modified trawls to reduce bycatch of undersized shrimp and fish by a team of Indian scientists.

The winner of the WWF International Smart Gear Competition will be decided by a diverse set of judges, including fishermen, researchers, engineers and fisheries managers from all over the world.

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Known in the United States as World Wildlife Fund and recognized worldwide by its panda logo, WWF leads international efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats and to conserve the diversity of life on Earth. Now in its fifth decade, WWF, the global conservation organization, works in more than 100 countries around the world. For more information on World Wildlife Fund, visit www.worldwildlife.org.

For official competition rules and to learn how to enter, please visit www.smartgear.org. The competition begins on November 29, 2005, and ends on March 15, 2006. Employees, agents, current contractors, and relatives of employees of World Wildlife Fund, Inc. or any WWF National Organization are ineligible. Judges and relatives of Judges are also ineligible. The competition is void where prohibited. Odds depend on number of entries received. No purchase is necessary.

Note to editors: High resolution photographs (2005 winners in the field and head shots, bycatch, dolphins, whales, and sea turtles) and video (bycatch, dolphins, whales, sea turtles, fishing boats) are available to accompany press stories mentioning World Wildlife Fund or WWF. If used, appropriate credit must also be given to the photographer.

For more information on the WWF International Smart Gear Competition, go to www.smartgear.org.