Expedition Hauls in Derelict Nets - Boat U.S. Reports

Three chartered commercial fishing vessels steamed into Honolulu, HI Nov. 20 after hauling more than 60 tons of derelict fishing gear from waters around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The gear, mostly monofilament nets lost or abandoned at sea, had drifted onto the reefs and islands of the 1,200-mile archipelago.

The three-month clean-up cruise joined The Ocean Conservancy with three federal agencies and Hawaii Sea Grant, plus other state and private organizations. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funded the $3 million expedition in which teams of NOAA divers spent hours underwater locating, untangling, cutting and finally removing the debris.

Pacific currents continually push lost gear into the islands. Once fouled on the reefs, the nets go on fishing, killing sea turtles, fish, seabirds and other wildlife while destroying corals. The nets also pose a serious threat to the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, especially curious pups, which can become entangled and drown.

"Derelict nets can go on entangling and killing large numbers of creatures for years," reports Dr. Mary Donohue, a NOAA Fisheries scientist.

Cleaning up tons of debris scattered across many square miles of ocean is hard work. How do they do it? Divers pulled behind small boats first locate and map debris. Then they go down, either snorkeling or on scuba, and cut away the gear, taking care not to harm the coral or become caught themselves. The debris is loaded on the small boats and then transferred to the large vessels where it is separated into categories, weighed and carefully documented.

Nina Young, the Conservancy's marine wildlife director, describes the undertaking as "a kind of net forensics.

"You have to take into account the various components of a net to determine its origin," Young explains. "The data then help to identify sources of derelict gear so that we can work with other Pacific Rim countries to educate fishermen and the public to reduce marine debris in the world's oceans."

The November haul brings the total to more than 118 tons of derelict gear removed since the multi-agency cruises began in 1998. Yet scientists estimate that the Northwest Hawaiian Islands still hold more than 100 tons of derelict fishing gear, ghost nets which continue to destroy fragile coral reefs and threaten sea life.