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Now Open: The Annual NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest!
Are you a student or teacher that’s passionate about marine debris? Then get your art supplies ready, because this year’s NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest is officially open! Students in grades K-8 in all U.S. states and territories can submit their artwork now through December 15.
Learn more about the contest.
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Recovered buoys upcycled into Halloween jack-o-lanterns (Credit: Surfrider Kaua'i).
Submitted by: Barbara Wiedner
The Surfrider Kaua‘i Chapter’s International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) did look a bit different this year but we were able to collect some meaningful data. Due to safety guidelines we completed four smaller cleanups rather than a large cleanup. A Nukoli‘i Cleanup took place on September 19 where 11 volunteers cleaned up an area spanning from Kauai Beach Resort to the south end of the beach. The debris was taken to The Marine Science Center at Nāwiliwili for students to sort and weigh. Detailed data was also collected by 1st and 3rd graders from Home School Now at a Kāhili Beach cleanup. Our Net Patrol crew also participated in ICC, documenting their cleanup efforts on September 23 at an area south of Moloa‘a. Volunteers removed a total of 2,130 lbs of debris at these four smaller cleanups.
Learn more about Surfrider Kaua'i.
An entangled Wedge-tailed Shearwater ('Ua'u kani) washed up in Kailua Beach (O'ahu) on May 18, 2019 (Credit: David Hyrenbach).
Submitted by: David Hyrenbach
Entanglement in marine debris, including lost and discarded fishing gear, affects an increasing number of seabird species globally. We compiled published reports, records from wildlife rescue programs, and opportunistic observations of entangled seabirds from the Main Hawaiian Islands. Our review documented entanglement in seven species: three boobies, three petrels (one shearwater and two albatrosses), and one tern. In four instances (Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Brown Booby, Red-footed Booby, White Tern) our recent (2012-2020) observations were new species records not previously reported in the literature. While this review suggests that entanglement affects a variety of Hawaiian seabirds, our observations only provide a minimum index of the number of species and individuals adversely affected. To see the report, visit this link after November 1.
Hyrenbach, D., Elliott, L., Cabrera, C., Dauterman, K., Gelman, J., & Siddiqi, A. 2020. Seabird Entanglement in Marine Debris and Fishing Gear in the Main Hawaiian Islands (2012-2020). ‘Elepaio, 80(6): 41-46.
Vast amounts of marine debris along a Moloka'i shoreline (Credit: Sustainable Coastlines Hawai'i).
Submitted by: Cathy Gewecke
The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) is actively working with multiple partners for potential debris removal projects on Moloka'i (proposal stage). DAR is also participating in a pilot program with Sustainable Coastlines that reimburses the group for costs associated with collection, removal, and recycling of large debris that is hazardous to protected species.
In addition, during the last year, DAR participated in the Plastic Source Reduction Working Group as established under Act 254 of the 2019 Legislature, to address the State’s plastic waste issue through source reduction. The final meeting concluded on September 24th, 2020. The outcome of the working group was a report with recommendations which will be submitted to the legislature in the next session for review. Information on the Plastic Source Reduction Working Group can be found on the Department of Health’s website. A copy of the report with a synopsis of the final recommendations can be found here.
Beginning on January 1, 2021, Phase I of Ordinance 19-30 will go into effect (Credit: Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation).
Submitted by: Jennifer Milholen, Jaclyn Johnson, and Lisa Jeffers-Fabro
It has been nearly a year since the passage of Bill 40, now Ordinance 19-30, a landmark single-use plastics reduction bill for the City & County of Honolulu. This bill is one of the most comprehensive pieces of legislation in the country for reducing single-use plastics in food service! Beginning on January 1, 2021, Phase I of Ordinance 19-30 will go into effect. We are thrilled for this new law to take effect but there are some in the restaurant industry that are fighting to stop the implementation of these measures. We need your help! Head over to our blog to learn how you can continue to support Ordinance 19-30.
Net drop-off bin outside the DLNR DAR office at Honokōhau harbor (Credit: Megan Lamson).
Submitted by: Megan Lamson
In step with the derelict fishing and cargo net recovery efforts conducted by the Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) in West Hawaiʻi earlier this summer, members from the community group Hui Aloha Kīholo knew exactly what to do when this large conglomerated net bundle washed ashore at Kīholo in early October. Their intern pulled it above the higher-high tide level, and they were later able to load and transport it to Honokōhau harbor where Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund (HWF) has installed a net drop-off bin (with support from the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation and DAR). This large net (estimated at 300+ pounds), along with others, was loaded with help from DLNR enforcement officer, JJ Hing, and transported to the staging area in Wai‘ōhinu provided by Hawaiʻi County. This community and multi-agency collaboration is a great example of groups coming together for the greater good of protecting wildlife and habitats.
HWF plans to ship these nets to Oʻahu in early 2021 for the Hawai‘i Nets to Energy partnership with shipping courtesy of Matson, and continues to investigate other potential recycling options. HWF estimates that over 6,000 pounds of nets have been deposited in the bins outside the DAR offices in Kona and Hilo since this program began in 2018.
The articles written by partners are not the opinions of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and do not imply that NOAA recommends or endorses those expressed by partner organizations. These opinions and their associated actions will be carried out by interested partner organizations and are not affiliated with NOAA or the NOAA Marine Debris Program.
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