Divers haul 53 tons of marine debris from Papahanaumokuakea

A team of specialized divers from Hawaii has once again returned from Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument with a huge haul of marine debris.

The 16-member team recently returned to Honolulu aboard the ship, M/V Imua, with 105,655 pounds, or 53 tons, of marine debris — including 64,000 pounds of ghost nets removed from reefs, another 32,530 pounds of ghost nets removed from shorelines, and 9,125 pounds of plastic debris removed from the ocean.

It was the nonprofit group, Papahanaumokuakea Marine Debris Project’s second, 30-day cleanup expedition to Papahanaumokuakea for the year, according to a news release.

During this expedition, the team cleaned up Lisianski Island (Kapou), Pearl and Hermes Atoll (Manawai), Midway Atoll (Kuaihelani) and Kure Atoll (Holaniku), with a focus on removing ghost nets from the coral reefs.

Additionally, the team cleaned and restored over 1,600 acres of shallow coral reefs, which is more than three times the size of Diamond Head crater, saving two Hawaiian green sea turtles entangled in nets in the process.

One of the major accomplishments of this expedition was the removal of a derelict lifeboat beached at Pearl and Hermes Atoll for over a year. This lifeboat belonged to the 65-foot car carrier ship, Sincerity Ace, which was abandoned near the national monument after an onboard fire in January 2019.

According to a statement, this lifeboat had remained aground on one of the atoll’s most pristine islets since at least June of last year, posing an entrapment threat to seabirds, and a contamination threat due to the diesel fuel, batteries, and engine fluids on board.

This latest trip followed an earlier expedition in July, when a team of divers removed nearly 97,295 pounds of marine debris, mostly from Kamokuokamohoalii, or Maro reef. This reef, one of the most diverse in the state, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, supports a vibrant ecosystem and thousands of reef fish.

The latest haul brings the nonprofit’s cumulative total of marine debris removed this year to 202,950 pounds, which is equivalent to the weight of 10 full-sized school buses or more than three humpback whales.

The total amount that divers have cleaned from the remote monument since PDMP began the large-scale cleanups two years ago is now at a half-million pounds of marine debris.

Most of the nets are converted into energy, while some of the plastic debris is recycled.

PDMP’s mission receives support from Marc and Lynne Benioff, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, NOAA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the McPike-Zima Foundation, and numerous community donors. Some of NOAA’s support includes funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The nonprofit’s goal is to remove marine debris to give endangered wildlife the best chances of survival at Papahanaumokuakea, which includes Hawaiian monk seals, turtles, and seabirds.