On April 22, Consul General Juan Alsace delivered opening remarks at Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto to officially launch Fishackathon 2016 Toronto. This three-day event was hosted by the Consulate General Toronto, in partnership with the U.S. Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships, PortsToronto, IBM, Coca Cola, the City of Toronto, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, and many others. Teams of coders, and developers worked throughout the weekend to create innovative technological solutions and apps to tackle issues facing the global ocean and freshwater supply chain and fisheries. The event attracted both students and professionals who were guided by industry experts as their mentors. Team FinTech, was selected as the winner, earning a CAD$1,000 cash award. This team of four designed an application that provides real-time information on ideal conditions for invasive fish spawning; a tool to help field staff determine when to visit high-risk areas. FinTech will represent Toronto in the global Fishackathon competition on June 8, 2016 for a grand prize of USD$10,000 in cash and an application development grant.
