Coastal Services Center

Lost or discarded fishing nets and other derelict fishing gear don't just disappear harmlessly into the depths of the oceans. Currents can sweep the debris thousands of miles, damaging coral reefs and entangling fish and marine mammals. The problem is so severe in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands that a large multiagency collaborative effort has been under way since 1996 to collect lost gear, track its sources, better understand and communicate the issue, and search for solutions.

"This problem is so big," says Mary Donohue, research biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service Honolulu Lab. "It's not just a Hawaii problem, it's a regional and global problem. This problem requires solutions not from one organization or lab, but from as many partners and stakeholders as possible."

For the past seven years, numerous state and federal agencies and private organizations have set aside jurisdictional differences, and contributed resources and expertise to the partnership. Resulting efforts include massive cleanup operations, research, outreach and education programs, and the organization of an international conference to explore the issue and provide possible solutions.

Dangerous Debris

Derelict fishing gear severely impacts marine ecosystems by abrading or breaking coral reefs and entangling seabirds, sea turtles, and sea mammals, such as the endangered Hawaiian monk seal. Scientists estimate that debris ingestion, entanglement, or both affects 43 percent of all marine mammal species worldwide. Alien marine species, it is believed, can be introduced to a pristine environment after hitching a ride on gear that can travel thousands of miles from where it was lost or discarded.

There also are economic and safety issues for the fishing industry, although the impacts are less well documented, Donohue says. Derelict nets can clog vessel intake valves or snare propellers, stranding fishermen or forcing costly repairs. "Fishermen don't want to encounter big mats of fishing gear, either," particularly when the cost of a clogged intake valve could be anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000 a day.

While the problem is experienced around the globe, Naomi McIntosh, acting manager of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, says the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands appears to be a "convergence zone," where debris from as far away as Asia and Alaska accumulates.

Beneath the Surface

Since the 1980s, the National Marine Fisheries Service has collected debris from the beaches of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to protect monk seals from entanglement. "Despite all the effort," Donohue says, "monk seal entanglements continued to remain high."

For the first time in 1996, researchers began to look under the water for debris. "We found huge amounts of net in the nearshore, shallow water," she says. "We realized this is not just a problem for the Hawaiian monk seals, but that it's a threat to the entire ecosystem."

Video was taken of the tangle of debris that was suffocating coral and seal alike. These powerful images helped other agencies and organizations—ranging from the U.S. Coast Guard to Hawaii's coastal zone management program, to nonprofits such as the Ocean Conservancy to the fishing industry—grasp the scope of the problem.

"This issue does not fall under the responsibility of any one agency or organization. The onus is on everyone to do what they can," Donohue explains.

Tons of Debris

Since 1998, cleanup missions have been conducted that have removed 132 tons of fishing gear from the fragile environment. "A very easy way to gauge the partnership's success," boasts Donohue, "is the absolute tonnage of debris that is no longer present." Their efforts also were recognized in 1998 with a Silver Hammer Award presented by then Vice President Al Gore.

In addition to the cleanup, researchers are working to determine seal and whale entanglement rates, and are conducting experiments to see how quickly the debris accumulates.

Communicating the Problem

"While cleaning up the debris was the immediate problem and everyone embraced that fact, we also recognized that we needed to solve the problem so we aren't cleaning up for the rest of our lives," says Chris Woolaway, Hawaii Sea Grant extension agent. In addition to the cleanup voyages, a variety of programs were begun to educate everyone from industry leaders to school students about the issue.

Brochures, posters, and outreach efforts were developed for the different audiences, notes Cindy Knapman, education coordinator with the West Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.

Partners also started a speaking circuit. "Most of us are going to as many conferences as our budget and schedules allow, giving papers and presentations," Donohue says. "Our goal is to expose as many different stakeholders as possible to the problem and as a result garner more interest."

The interest they have generated so far includes that of the U.S. Congress. The threat to coral reefs was considered so severe, says Naomi McIntosh, that Congress provided funding for a conference that would assess the Pacific-wide nature of the problem and develop special recommendations and strategies for solving it.

The Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary was tasked with heading the organization of the International Marine Debris Conference: Derelict Fishing Gear and the Ocean Environment, which 278 people from 20 countries and 15 states attended in August 2000. The 429-page conference proceedings and international plan of action has been published and is available for review and comment.

A second conference is planned, and international efforts to address derelict fishing gear will be tracked via an interactive Web site, McIntosh says.

The size and scope of the problem, Donohue says, requires an expansive partnership that gets away from agency mission statements and differences, and focuses on what each group can contribute to solving the problem.

"This issue has something for everyone," she notes. By solving the problem, we'll have "more wildlife, healthier fisheries, and reduced cost to fishermen that will be felt right down to the recreational sailor.

"By working together, we save money, do a better job, and serve the public in the way that we should. This model is really a way to link the government with the private sector and make management more cost effective for all of us."

For more information on Hawaii's partnership to address derelict fishing gear, contact Mary Donohue at (808) 592-7010 or Mary.Donohue@noaa.gov. For more information on the conference proceedings, point your browser to www.nos.noaa.gov/debrisresults/welcome.html, or contact Naomi McIntosh at (808) 397-2651 or Naomi.McIntosh@noaa.gov.