Shan Ahmed Khan

Three Grade 11 students from west of Toronto have pulled together roughly $5,500 in early funding for a fishing net aimed at cutting shark bycatch — the unintentional catch of non-target species — the Halton District School Board announced Thursday. Emmy Nah, Amrutha Kosuri, and Veera Kalsi developed the “Bye-Catch” concept at Oakville’s T.A. Blakelock High School. They used recycled materials and added electromagnets plus blue LEDs designed to repel sharks without harming fish, the board said. After making it to the finals of Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow contest, the team pitched the idea to investors. Attendees at a Rotary conference in Orillia chipped in $4,650 toward the funding total. Nah noted, “Oceans cover 71 percent of the Earth,” as the group moves forward with intellectual property protection and plans for East Coast testing. The fundraising is modest, yet it’s the kind of boost that can propel a school project into real-world testing—where costs, durability, and concrete results matter far more than presentations and applause. Bycatch solutions often seem straightforward—until they face the challenges of salt water.