Photo credit: NOAA Fisheries, Steven Gnam

Thousands of pounds of discarded trash have been collected from the pristine beaches of several atolls in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The cleanup was conducted over the course of 41 days, from September 19 to October 29, 2018, by a team of 18 divers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Hawaii’s Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research.

The plastic and trash pickup was a partnership between NOAA, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, and Hawaii’s Nets-to-Energy Program. Their efforts were focused on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands that make up the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM), one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world. The 2018 mission was one of many over the last several years. Kevin O’Brien, NOAA PIFSC Marine Debris Project Lead explains, “we're able to do a big effort every three years, and then for the last couple years we've been able to squeeze in smaller efforts at Midway [Atoll], in between.”

Since 1996, NOAA Fisheries teams have collected more than two million pounds of marine debris from PMNM, including the 164,917 pounds collected in 2018 alone. The 2018 haul is equivalent to 45 mid-size cars or a space shuttle.

So, where does all of this trash come from and how does it make its way to Hawaii? More importantly, how does it impact our fragile ecosystems and what can you do to help? We’ve got some answers to these tough questions. Keep reading on for information about marine debris and how it affects Hawaii.