Here’s an interesting blend of activism and technology.

Rene Umberger, a Maui diver, activist, and executive director of For the Fishes, has created an award-winning mobile app to reduce consumer demand for coral reef wildlife.

Her free app, Tank Watch, was among the winners last month in the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge to tackle wildlife trafficking.

The contest is an international initiative by the U.S. Agency for International Development in partnership with the National Geographic Society, the Smithsonian Institution and TRAFFIC.

Tank Watch – The Good Fish/Bad Fish Tool for Saltwater Aquariums aims to save fragile reefs and marine wildlife captured for household and small display aquariums worldwide by developing consumer awareness and ultimately reducing demand for wild caught aquarium fish.

According to the description posted at Apple’s iTunes Store:

Tank Watch helps you identify reef-friendly, GOOD FISH, for saltwater aquariums, whether in stores or display tanks. Our app brings you the entire list of reef and wildlife-friendly fish: those species bred in captivity and suitable for saltwater tanks. It also includes the most commonly held BAD FISH: those taken from coral reefs. Our “Search by Color” feature lets you quickly and easily identify species you may be unfamiliar with.

FEATURES
• Provides free, up-to-date information at your fingertips with beautiful images to aid in fish ID.

• Allows easy fish ID by color.
• Sort by family, common name(s), or scientific name.
• Quick access lists for “Good Fish”, “Bad Fish”, “Good Fish for Novices”, and “Most Common Bad Fish”.
• Includes additional common names, care level rating and more.
• Provides wildlife and reef-friendly alternatives for conscientious fishkeeping.

“We won over $20K in cash and training, and will compete this summer for a handful of Grand prizes in the $100K – $500K range,” Umberger said yesterday in an email. The Grand Prize awards are to support the winners as they scale their solutions.

“Of the 15 other winners, we are the only solution in the reduce consumer demand category, so we feel excited about our chances!”

Tank Watch is available now for iPhone or iPad, with an Android version under development now.