January 10, 2023 — Hawaii Pacific University’s Center for Marine Debris Research has launched a project to remove derelict fishing gear from the ocean. The goal is to remove 220,462 pounds of derelict fishing gear from the ocean over a two-year period.
The HPU project is a partnership with the Hawaii Longline Association and the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Aquatic Resources with partial funding by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program Removal Grant.
Lost and abandoned fishing gear, including ghost nets, make up derelict fishing gear that eventually reach Hawaii’s beaches. But before doing so, ocean currents tangle up the gear into large masses that entangle and drown marine animals, and smother and kill Hawaii’s reefs as they make their way to the shoreline. DFG is one of the most harmful types of marine debris to marine animals and ecosystems.