Volunteers remove thousands of feet of fishing lines from west, north Hawaiʻi reefs

Ocean Defenders Alliance volunteers and skilled divers from Kohala Divers clean hard-to-reach areas of the coastline that are frequently fished from shore by local fishermen.

In September, one of the Ocean Defenders Alliance boat partners, Aquatic Life Divers, offered a quarterly charter for a boat full of volunteers to clean fishing lines off Pine Trees beach at Kona’s “Golden Arches” dive site.

The cleanup crew pulled up 6,000 feet of fishing line and 45 pounds of lead in one single dive.

According to Ocean Defenders Alliance Hawaiʻi Island Chapter Leader Sarah Milisen, the spot will become a repeat site as there are still lines tangled in coral heads, lines threading from one rock mound to another, lures, huge hooks hanging off the drop-off, and lead everywhere.

In October, Kay Cooper, Ocean Defenders Alliance North Hawaiʻi Island Volunteer Coordinator, along with 13 volunteers and four staff members from Kohala Divers, revisited a site close to the Kawaihae small boat harbor, Kawaihae Gulch, that typically has fishing lines, lead weights, and unusual items over the reef.

The team began carefully removing lines from coral, between rocks, off the floor, and out of holes. Since the line was scattered, volunteers had to look up to ensure they stayed with the group, monitored their depth, and kept track of air. The work is meticulous, and divers can get distracted easily.

The first dive filled half of a large black bucket, and after a break, they decided to do a second dive in the same location.

After both dives, volunteers filled the bucket with 3,500 feet of fishing line, 10 lead weights, eight lures, some plastic fragments, and around six ulua hooks, for a total weight of 50 pounds.

To learn more about the Hawaiʻi Island activity, visit the Ocean Defenders Alliance website.