12 May 2006

Inventor gets thumbs up from the Greens

The Green Party has congratulated inventor Chris Carey for the international recognition he has received for his innovative thinking in developing a device to save sea birds from becoming fishing by-catch statistics.

Mr Carey, of Christchurch, was named runner-up in this year's WWF International Smart Gear Competition, for his flying bottlebrush invention.

Greens Conservation Spokesperson Metiria Turei says the device, which is designed to frighten birds away from the cables that pull nets through the water, is simple and, by all accounts, successful.

"I congratulate Mr Carey for his commonsense approach to such a serious problem, and for the recognition it has received from WWF," Mrs Turei says.

Mr Carey's employer Independent Fisheries has tested the device on its fleet and it has reportedly been responsible for a 50 percent drop in the number of birds killed. It is currently being trailed across the industry.

"Too many of our beautiful and endangered seabirds have fallen victim to bad fishing practices and it is marvellous to see a potential solution to this problem coming from within the industry," Mrs Turei says.

ENDS

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