#Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project

Study: Debris cleanups through the years have reduced marine life entanglements

Nearly 90 Hawaiian monk seals were entangled in ghost nets between 2006 and 2014 in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Nearly 32 tons of marine debris removed from Kuaihelani, also known as Midway Atoll

The atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and part of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is home to more than 70 endangered Hawaiian monk seals and also serves as the nesting grounds for the world’s largest colony of mōlī, or Laysan Albatross, and nearly 2 million birds of 19 different species, including the world’s most endangered duck, the Laysan duck.

63 tons of marine debris removed from Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

The team successfully removed a total of 63 tons of marine debris over the course of this 4-week effort. This expedition was the Marine Debris Project’s second large-scale effort of 2023, with a previous expedition completed during the month of July. The total amount of debris collected by the Marine Debris Project in the last 90 days now stands at 106 tons.

Hawaiʻi Sea Grant, partners awarded $5 million to combat marine debris

The University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program and its partners have been awarded over $5 million to tackle the issue of marine debris, particularly derelict fishing gear that is abandoned, lost or discarded in the ocean.

53 tons of marine debris removed from national monument in Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

A large-scale cleanup at a marine national monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands yielded 53 tons of marine debris.