Nearshore Survey Of Marine Debris Off Kure's South Shore Yields Bundled Mass Of Nets

Click for full size

Over the past few days, wildlife officials from the Department of Land and Natural Resources have conducted a brief survey looking for marine debris in the nearshore waters of Kure Atoll's Green Island. Their search yielded several floating masses (above) of nets, rope and other debris scattered around the island, and today they worked to remove the ones closest to shore.

Click for full size

The largest and most accessible pile of floating nets and polypropylene line that they were able to remove was found in less than eight feet of water (above). It was located 40 to 50 yards off shore. The nets and line were bundled up and tangled on the reef. Given the amount of algae that had grown on the bundle, it is probable that the net had been caught on the reef for some time.

Click for full size

Wildlife workers Ethan Shiinoki and Nalu Yen (above) removed the 'ghost net' from the southern shore of the island. They also dragged other piles of net away from the water's edge, closer to the vegetation line to prevent them from returning to the ocean.

"In the brief time we had here on island during this trip, we were only able to remove a fraction of the nets we saw caught in the nearshore reefs," said Yen. "We are taking note of the locations of the other nets and will try to remove them during our next visit to the island."

Click for full size

Yen (above) said wildlife staff this summer removed and burned nearly 2,500 pounds of net from the reefs and beaches around Green Island this past summer. Most of the debris was composed of cargo and fishing nets tangled among polypropylene ropes. Hundreds of pounds of live coral were found in the nets, which were broken off as the nets dragged across the reef in the surf.

Although creating burn piles is not the ideal removal method for the tangled nets, given the piles of accumulated debris and difficulty in hauling the nets off island, right now, burning is the most feasible option. In the future, DLNR would like to find other ways to deal with the problem.

Click for full size

Yen points out that floating and tangled nets aren't the only marine debris problems on the island (above). Piles of debris are found everywhere along the beach and pose continuing hazards for the seabirds, monk seals, and turtles which utilize the island to rest and breed.

"Marine debris is a continuous problem here at Kure," said Yen. "You can find nearly everything that floats around the Pacific, right here on Green Island. Some of it is very dangerous to wildlife which often entangle themselves in the debris, impale themselves on it, or even try to eat it and feed it to their young, mistaking small plastic objects for food. "


Click for full size

A quick walk around the island reveals the vast array of debris that accumulates on the island. Plastic and glass bottles, plastic crates, laundry baskets, rope, nets, and plastic buoys make up the majority. Rubber slippers, fishing floats and line, cigarette lighters, light bulbs, assorted metals, and even syringes can also be found strewn across the beach. Large chemical and gas tanks are also occasionally seen washed ashore.

In a few weeks, Kure Atoll will benefit from the help of a multi-agency marine debris cleanup of several atolls and islands in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The clean up will focus on debris entangled on the reefs as opposed to debris found on shore. It is scheduled to begin on October 9 and will be the first time that the cooperative marine debris clean up will tackle this northernmost atoll during their month-long cruise through several of the islands.

Return To News Release Archive