Regional Prize Winner 2009, The Selector - Implementing the Winning Idea
Through funding provided by the Lemelson Foundation for this East African Regional Prize, WWF was able to provide financial assistance during 2010 to help the inventor of this device introduce The Selector to the fishermen of Lake Victoria.
The project used local fishermen to facilitate extensive field trials of the device in the region. Feedback from the fishermen themselves provided improvements to the aerodynamics of the device and its efficiency through improved positioning in the water. The field trials themselves involved a group of thirty local fishermen using six boats and were conducted across a period of several weeks.
The results of the trials showed that The Selector was able to reduce the bycatch of the goldfish species by up to 50%. This makes the device very useful in the conservation of this endangered species in Lake Victoria.
WWF has also provided funding for the education of local fishermen about the benefits of this device, and to encourage its adoption as a regular part of their fishing gear. A workshop was held in November 2010 where the leaders of the local fishing communities were trained in the construction and operation of The Selector and tasked with the dissemination of these skills and information. There is a real desire to maintain the ecosystems of Lake Victoria in order to ensure the livelihoods of these primarily fishing communities.
The project will use local fishermen to conduct these additional trials of the device, and use this participatory approach to encourage widespread adoption of the low cost device. This project should be completed by August 2010.
The project used local fishermen to facilitate extensive field trials of the device in the region. Feedback from the fishermen themselves provided improvements to the aerodynamics of the device and its efficiency through improved positioning in the water. The field trials themselves involved a group of thirty local fishermen using six boats and were conducted across a period of several weeks.
The results of the trials showed that The Selector was able to reduce the bycatch of the goldfish species by up to 50%. This makes the device very useful in the conservation of this endangered species in Lake Victoria.
WWF has also provided funding for the education of local fishermen about the benefits of this device, and to encourage its adoption as a regular part of their fishing gear. A workshop was held in November 2010 where the leaders of the local fishing communities were trained in the construction and operation of The Selector and tasked with the dissemination of these skills and information. There is a real desire to maintain the ecosystems of Lake Victoria in order to ensure the livelihoods of these primarily fishing communities.
The project will use local fishermen to conduct these additional trials of the device, and use this participatory approach to encourage widespread adoption of the low cost device. This project should be completed by August 2010.