During this 30-day mission to the Monument a crew of 17 trained NOAA divers removed underwater marine debris at Maro Reef, Pearl and Hermes Atoll, and Kure Atoll. Collected debris along beaches and shores of Laysan Island, Lisianski Island, Pearl and Hermes Atoll, and Kure Atoll was also removed to reduce shoreline entanglement risk for protected species such as the endangered Hawaiian monk seal.

NOAA

NOAA ship Oscar Elton Sette, returns to Oahu from its latest marine debris removal operation with over 40 tons of debris.

This removal effort has been ongoing since 1996 by specially trained divers from NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (JIMAR), with funding and assistance from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation program, the NOAA Marine Debris Program, NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Coast Guard and Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

Derelict nets are brought back to Oahu and used to create electricity in Hawaii’s Nets to Energy Program, a private-public partnership of over 12 organizations, businesses and agencies.