Meet Kortney Opshaug: An Ocean Steward through Intelligent Fishing Design | Wave Makers
March 17, 2022
How smart fishing buoys are transforming America's fisheries
Commercial fishing? There’s an app for that! CEO Kortney Opshaug and her team have spent more than five years partnering with fishers and testing gear to help innovate an industry in need of an overhaul; the commercial fishing industry. Blue Ocean Gear offers intelligent, connected Smart Buoys to provide real-time gear tracking for commercial fishing fleets out on the ocean. This technology is clutch! As it stands, over 600,000 metric tons of fishing gear is lost to the oceans every year! This consumes up to 30% of the world's fishery stocks while causing fleets to lose billions of dollars in revenue and gear replacement costs.
Another NASA scientist that saw an opportunity to transfer her knowledge to ocean tech. Now working more with NOAA and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Kortney shares her motivation and heart that’s driven her to start this company. Listen to learn more about what spawned this great idea, and other insights Blue Ocean Gear providing to benefit our oceans.
Before diving into promoting the incredible innovations of the ocean and water industry, Tamara spent a decade ocean bound for weeks at a time, working with state-of-the-art geophysical sensors in some of the most challenging environments, the salty depths of the world’s oceans. She enjoyed managing projects with advanced technology and collaborating with a diverse workforce and clientele, but her international travels made her witness to some of the worst challenges facing humanity, from ocean pollution to water scarcity. She resolved to pivot her career into sustainability and ecological resilience. Since earning a Masters of Advanced Studies in Climate Science and Policy from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Tamara develops and facilitates programs that enable STEM students, researchers, policymakers, government officials and tech companies to form mutually beneficial partnerships, innovating and collaborating internationally towards sustainable solutions. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Geological Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin and contributes technical knowledge along with expertise in strategic collaboration and a zest for innovative thinking. Tamara is most happy near a body of water, relishes any chance to SCUBA and loves learning new languages and cultures.
