Saving sharks with magnets

Every year thousands of sharks die after becoming snared on hooks set by commercial fisheries to catch fish such as tuna and swordfish.

Michael Herrmann of Shark Defense, has won the WWF 2006 Smart Gear competition for an innovation that addresses the problem of shark by-catch.

Knowing that sharks can detect magnetic fields, Herrmann found that placing strong magnets just above the hooks on longline fishing nets can repel certain shark species.

From WWF.