New ideas for protecting the oceans
- By Richard Branson -
- May 18, 2012
Protecting the oceans is one of the most important challenges facing the world today.
One prominent example of this is the problem of cod fishing off Newfoundland. In the past, you used to be able to almost walk on water there because every step would be solid cod. Sadly, hardly any cod are left due to overfishing.
Without regulation, the cod supplies have not been replenished, and it looks like they will never recover.
I am part of the OceanElders, an organisation that serves as a catalyst in the conservation of the ocean and its wildlife. We are always on the lookout for new ideas for protecting the oceans, and we came across one this week.
At the Virgin Media Pioneers Pitch 2 Rich event at my children’s home in Oxford, budding entrepreneurs pitched their business plans to me and a panel of experts. While all four finalists had great ideas, one really stood out.
Dan Watson from SafetyNet Technologies came up with a wonderful idea to protect fish that swim into fishing nets. He has developed special nets fitted with holes and lights to allow smaller fish to escape unharmed, thereby reducing waste and boosting fish supplies.
It really could be a revolutionary, sea-shaking idea The beauty of the concept was summed up perfectly by my fellow judge Richard Reed from Innocent. He said: “I'm not a fish & I'm not a fisherman, but this is clearly a great idea!"
By Richard Branson. Founder of Virgin Group
