Team Akubic, from Taiwan has taken out the global prize in the third annual Fishackathon announced by the Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships at the U.S. Department of State announced on Wednesday June 8 – World Oceans Day. The team will receive a $10,000 cash prize sponsored by Virgin Group for their solution, Great Lakes Savior.
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.
Forty cities around the world hosted Fishackathon this year, across tech hubs, aquariums and universities, including at the University of New South Wales in Sydney in an event sponsored by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA). The Australian winner, team Fillet Finder, went on to compete against teams from across the world for international honours.
Global winner Akubic addressed a problem statement submitted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada: aquatic invasive species, specifically Asian Carp, presenting a major ecological and economic threat to the Great Lakes.
Their solution, Great Lakes Savior seeks to control populations of this invasive species by using online real-time temperature and flow data to predict spawning times of Asian carp in the Great Lakes region.
AFMA congratulates Team Akubic for their innovative solution and all those who took part in the event across the world, including Australia’s entrant Fillet Finder.
Keep an eye out for more information on Fishackathon 2017 in Australia at afma.gov.au.