WWF's International Smart Gear Competition - Press Room

30 Jul 2008
WWF mourns the loss of Phil Ruhle Sr., fishermen, innovator and advocate for ocean conservation.
WWF was honored to have the opportunity to work with Phil Ruhle Sr. when his team won the Smart Gear Award. We were deeply impressed by his enthusiasm and his commitment to ocean conservation. Our thoughts and best wishes are with Phil's family at this sad time. » Read more

22 Apr 2008
New website on reducing marine turtle bycatch in the Eastern Pacific
The WWF Eastern Pacific Marine Turtle Bycatch Programme website has been launched to share information on WWF's Latin America and Caribbean Sustainable Fisheries Program is working witg fishers and other stakeholders to transform longline fisheries toward sustainability. » Read more

05 Mar 2008
Lethal whale "research" programmes produce meat, not answers: WWF

Japan would do better whale research by not killing whales, said WWF on the eve of a key International Whaling Commission planning meeting.

Today, much more plentiful and reliable information is available using the many better new ways of collecting whale data rather than much the same old ways of killing them.

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Leatherback turtle caught up in a French Tuna purse-seine fishery in the Atlantic ocean.

12 Feb 2008
New guide to reducing bycatch goes online
As a service to the long-term sustainability of both fish stocks and fishing communities, WWF has established an online resource providing up-to-date information on bycatch (the capture of non-target creatures in fishing gear) and how to reduce it.

» Read more

15 Nov 2007
WWF competition nets sustainable fishing solutions
A team of inventors from the United States has won the third WWF International Smart Gear Competition for an invention that could save fish and other marine life from dying or being discarded each year. » Read more

05 Apr 2007
WWF's Smartgear Competition Honored by NOAA
The Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today honored WWF's Smartgear competition which aims to make fishing gear more wildlife-friendly. The recognition is part of the agency’s second-annual Sustainable Fisheries Leadership Award. The awards will be presented at a dinner in Washington, D.C., on June 7. » Read more

07 Feb 2007
WWF launches fishing gear competition to reduce marine bycatch
WWF is seeking new designs for fishing gear that reduces marine bycatch — the accidental catch and related deaths of millions of marine species each year. Enter WWF's third annual international Smart Gear Competition today!
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In the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, 89% of hammerhead sharks and 80% of thresher and white sharks have disappeared in the last 18 years as a result of bycatch. Hammerhead shark, Fiji.

11 May 2006
Saving sharks with magnets
Thousands of sharks could be saved from being killed on fishing lines thanks to the winning entry of this year's WWF-sponsored Smart Gear competition. » Read more

Marine turtles are caught as bycatch by a variety of fisheries, and often drown in the nets or on the fishing lines. This leatherback turtle was caught in a tuna purse-seine net in the Atlantic Ocean.

24 Mar 2006
International fishing gear competition lands over 80 entries
More than 80 inventors have entered the second International Smart Gear Competition in the hope of winning the US$25,000 grand prize for the best new fishing gear that will allow fishermen to target their intended catch while leaving other marine life untouched. » Read more

Circle hooks (right) have proven to be more turtle-friendly than traditional "J" hooks.

17 Feb 2006
WWF Smart Gear competition hooks multi-national experts to choose winner
WWF has announced the judging panel for this year’s WWF International Smart Gear Competition. The contest was created by WWF to encourage the design of innovative fishing gear to reduce marine bycatch – the incidental catch and related deaths of marine mammals, birds, sea turtles and non-target fish species. » Read more

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