With funding and support from the National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Association’s Marine Debris Program (NOAA), Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund recently reached a major milestone in its collaborative project with the Surfrider Foundation’s Kauaʻi Chapter, SHARKastics, and many other community partners. During this extensive two-year project across three Hawaiian Islands (Hawaiʻi, Kauaʻi, Maui), we collaboratively hosted a total of 390 debris-removal activities and monitored coastal wildlife concurrently on 261 occasions. In total, we recovered 61.0 metric tons (134,423 pounds) of marine debris and an additional 7.7 metric tons (16,907 pounds) of trash (land-based litter)!!
During this project, our collaborative teams at HWF (Hawaiʻi & Maui), Surfrider (Kauaʻi) and SHARKastics (Maui), and our many volunteers:
- Conducted 142 educational beach cleanups on three islands
- Completed 216 net-recovery patrols on two islands
- Recorded 261 wildlife observations and noted any interactions with marine debris
- Hosted 32 NOAA marine debris surveys at two sites
- Reached 8,015 volunteers, including 1,551 keiki, plus an additional 126 community partner groups
A few highlights from the many marine debris-removal events around Hawaiʻi Island in 2023.
In addition, the Hawai‘i Large Debris Recovery Partnership (HLDRP) achieved impressive marine debris removal outcomes over the course of two years:
- Volunteers worked 24,825 hours!
- 872.8 miles of coastline were cleared of debris
- 1054.9 acres of coastal habitat were “restored,” spanning three islands
- 216 targeted “net patrols” were conducted on Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i Island
- 261 wildlife monitoring reports were logged with notes on any marine debris interactions
- 6 derelict net drop-off stations were deployed and maintained on Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i Island.
- 3 helicopter airborne operations were used to recover derelict fishing gear from remote coasts on Kaua‘i
- A new NOAA marine debris survey site was established at Nukoliʻi, Kauaʻi, and surveys were continued at Kamilo, Hawaiʻi
HWF staff and partners cleared over 61 metric tons of coastal debris during this collaborative project effort.
Our amazing partnership also made great strides on on-going project goals, and plans to continue important collaborative activities into the future, including:
- Continued creative collaborations with the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary to help protect large marine mammals from debris entanglements.
- Coordinating with local Zero Waste chapters, various recycling partners, and local representatives to push forward new legislation to help prevent plastic pollution.
- Expanding outreach to local boaters (fishers and ecotourism operators) to help support the recovery of derelict fishing gear.
- Further engaging with the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) and NOAA monk seal research teams to help prevent wildlife entanglements.
- Expanding our collaborative research on the reduction of plastic eel (hagfish) traps.
- Increasing collaboration with local and international researchers to better understand marine debris transport, flux, accumulation at our local beaches.
Together, we have worked with 126 partners throughout this collaborative project, including fishers, ecotourism companies, keiki / school groups, non-governmental organizations, governmental agencies, local businesses, artists, and many other dedicated individuals. We are beyond thankful to all that supported HWF and our partners with Surfrider Kauaʻi during this amazing effort, and cannot wait for continued progress in marine debris reduction at our irreplaceable native coastal habitats. Mahalo to all of our incredible volunteers.
To learn more about getting involved with our coastal cleanup events, please check out our calendar of events (Hawaiʻi Island) or the websites for our friends with Surfrider Kauaʻi, and SHARKastics.
A few highlights from the many marine debris-removal events around Kauaʻi. PC: Surfrider Kauaʻi
