September 27, 2021 — Scientists and divers from NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and local nonprofit Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project (PMDP) returned to Honolulu on September 22, 2021, from a 30-day mission. The team removed marine debris from the shallow reefs and shorelines of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. These remote islands and atolls are centered among Pacific currents that carry lost and abandoned fishing nets and gear from all over the Pacific Ocean. The debris entangles wildlife and damages corals. Even during this mission, the team disentangled a 5-year-old female Hawaiian monk seal from derelict fishing rope.
The project staff collect valuable data during these missions:
- Assessing the abundance and distribution of marine debris across Papahānaumokuākea
- Evaluating rates of marine debris accumulation
- Measuring habitat damage and the negative impacts of marine debris on coral reefs
- Gauging recovery of coral reefs after marine debris removal
- Increasing public awareness of marine debris issues through communication and outreach
The team of 16 divers expected to remove more than 110,000 pounds of derelict fishing nets, plastics, and other marine debris. Over only 18 days, they collected even more—nearly 124,000 pounds of debris—from these islands, atolls, and reefs of the monument:
- Kamokuokamohoaliʻi (Maro Reef)—nearly 43,000 pounds
- Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll)—approximately 24,500 pounds
- Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Atoll)—23,650 pounds
- Hōlanikū (Kure Atoll)—nearly 16,000 pounds
- Kapou (Lisianski Island)—nearly 11,500 pounds
- Kamole (Laysan Island)—more than 5,000 pounds
Read the full story at NOAA Fisheries