In line with our ongoing commitment for the latest in innovation to improve fisheries management, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) is pleased to announce our involvement with Australia’s first ‘Fishackathon’ to take place between 22 and 24 April 2016.
The Fishackathon is a global initiative, organised by the US Department of State Office of Global Partnerships, designed to raise awareness and help develop innovative solutions to address overfishing and marine sustainability issues that are increasingly facing the world.
AFMA’s CEO Dr James Findlay, is encouraging volunteer coders, technologists, science enthusiasts, designers and fishing industry experts to get involved and spend an exciting weekend collaborating and developing real world solutions to problems facing fisheries in Australia and around the world.
The pilot Fishackathon in 2014 brought together coders at aquariums and tech hubs in five cities across the United States, with the 2015 event expanded to twelve cities around the world. This year the event is hosted in over 40 cities worldwide, including Sydney!
“We have watched Fishackathon evolve into an innovative global event and are pleased it has arrived in Australia,” Dr Findlay said.
“Our Commonwealth fisheries are in good shape, but it is important to continually look for innovation in our management practices.
“The Fishackathon is an event dedicated to developing the next innovations for fisheries management, which means it is a perfect fit for AFMA to be involved.”
At the end of the hackathon, teams will present their work and an expert panel of judges will nominate a winner from each site, eligible for worldwide grand prizes.
“AFMA is pleased to support this event and I encourage anyone interested in applying the latest technologies to marine resource management to get involved,” Dr Findlay concluded.
For further information, to register as a participant, or express interest in being a mentor/subject matter expert at the event, please visit fishackathon.co/sydney.
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Media contact: media@afma.gov.au or 0437 869 860