KAILUA-KONA— The annual removal of debris in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands hauled in the equivalent of six cars of garbage.
KAILUA-KONA— The annual removal of debris in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands hauled in the equivalent of six cars of garbage.
This year’s mission targeted the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, with the 10-person team packing up 12 tons of debris in 32 days. All told, the removal that first began in 1996 has removed 935 tons of marine debris.
The most frequent trash find?
The various nets that get tangled up in the reefs and piled up on the beach.
“We typically find large nets smothering the coral reef,” said James Morioka, the Marine Debris Project Lead with the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program.
Most common are purse and seine nets, said Morioka, of Oahu, which are not commonly used in the area. He said that highlights the international nature of the problem, which has washed up — unbelievable as it might sound — tractor tires, bowling balls and car bumpers to the region.
It can be difficult to stomach seeing such ocean pollution, especially knowing what hazards it poses for reef and reef life.
The nets, for example, snag on coral heads, then a strong wind or storm breaks off the head and sends it off “like a tumbleweed.”
“When you get into the water to look at it you see a trail of destruction,” Morioka said.
They also tangle up the critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal and other species. Member of the seal program see between 10 to 15 entanglements in nets during their work in the area.
During the trip, which wrapped up May 13, they reported helping the NOAA Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program remove a line of a fishing net wrapped around a seal’s neck.
Eliminating the nets that cause those problems ensures the continued health of the population, Morioka said.
Nets are far from the sole debris recovered. Also brought in were a wide variety of other items, including 1,468 drink bottles, 4,457 bottle caps, 485 toothbrushes and other personal care products, and 570 shoes and flip-flop sandals.
A notably lethal discovery was a cone trap, which a wedge-tailed shearwater was trapped in. After freeing the animal, they found four dead birds inside the trap.
Bringing the trash back to Hawaii, a network of partners eliminate virtually all the waste, NOAA reported.
The nets are cut up and burned at the H-Power plant on Oahu, which generates power for Honolulu. The rest are also recycled into things like soap dispensers, skateboards and art displays, Morioka said.
The amount and type of trash has remained largely the same even since he started in 2011, except for disposable lighters, which have dropped dramatically.
“We can go up there year after year and provide the effort and skill to clean up the debris,” Morioka said.
The plastics they recover are dominated by single-use items, like bottles, eating utensils and straws. People should remember the reduce, reuse and recycle model, he said, as it cuts down on the waste that can kill wildlife.
The prevalence of the garbage comes from the fact the islands are in the center of the North Pacific Gyre, NOAA scientists wrote, which are four currents that cause the ocean to spin, leading to garbage concentrating on the islands.
“This cross-agency effort to remove debris is a tremendous undertaking and it emphasizes the need to focus efforts on marine debris prevention to stop debris from showing up on these once pristine shorelines,” Pacific Island Regional Coordinator Mark Manuel added in a press release.