70,080 pounds of marine debris removed from Kuaihelani within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

A team of 12 from the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project (PMDP), a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit organization, returned to Honolulu, having conducted their first of three marine debris cleanups planned for 2024. The latest mission lasted 19 days, from April 15 to May 3, with crews removing a total of 70,080 pounds of marine debris and cleaning 10.7 miles of shoreline at Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands within Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM).

The cleanup mission targeted the removal of entanglement and ingestion hazards to wildlife from the shorelines of Eastern, Spit, and Sand Islands within Kuaihelani. Home to more than 70 endangered Hawaiian monk seals, the atoll also serves as the nesting grounds for the world’s largest colony of mōlī (Laysan Albatross) and nearly two million birds of 19 different species, including the world’s most endangered duck, the Laysan duck. 

Sydney Luitgaarden of PMDP remarked, “PMDP came to Kuaihelani with the goal of removing 35,000 pounds of marine debris to preemptively protect the wildlife, and I’m proud to say we more than doubled our goal.” 

US Sen. Brian Schatz reflected on the mission, “Thanks to the great work of PMDP, more than 70,000 pounds of debris has been removed from Papahānaumokuākea, allowing us to protect endangered wildlife, sustain coral reefs, and explore new ways to conserve the marine monument going forward.”

Breakdown of the 70,080 Pounds of Marine Debris Removed:

• Derelict fishing nets (ghost nets): 35,100 pounds
• Other plastic marine debris (including derelict fishing gear such as buoys and floats): 32,930 pounds 
• Abandoned derelict vessels: 2,050 pounds 

Marc and Lynne Benioff, private matching donors to the project said, “We are so grateful to PMDP and their partners for this latest success in removing plastic pollution and other marine debris that threaten our ecosystems and ocean health, and for all they do to protect this place that is sacred to Hawai’i.”

This cleanup mission was supported by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Elaine Johnson, USFWS Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge Manager, stated, “The blitz-style work achieved by PMDP was amazing to behold. The Fish and Wildlife Service is proud to partner with PMDP once again to keep Kuaihelani safe for the wildlife that depend on this atoll year-round”.  

Nancy Wallace, Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, added, “The NOAA Marine Debris Program has been a proud supporter of marine debris removal efforts in the Monument since 2006. We are pleased to continue NOAA’s legacy in this culturally and ecologically significant place, and support the efforts of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project.”

PMDP extends a huge thank you to our major funding partners for making this work possible. The NOAA Marine Debris Program is supporting this work through a 5-year grant to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation using $5.8M in funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding to NFWF is being matched by Marc and Lynne Benioff for a total investment of $12M over FY22-FY26. Additional funding for this mission is being provided by the NOAA Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program and the M/V Casitas Trustee Council. Additional support comes from the Pahlmeyer ‘Ohana, McPike-Zima Foundation, the JEM Project, the Bruce G. Geary Foundation, The Hawaiian Islands Trading Company, numerous community donors, and in-kind support from USFWS.

“Climate change is upon us, and the hard work being done by the NOAA Marine Debris Program has been necessitated by human impacts on our oceans,” said Hawai‘i Gov. Josh Green, M.D. “I was a young lawmaker in 2007 when then-First Lady Laura Bush dedicated the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument,  and it filled me with hope for the preservation of the 7,000 marine species there, 25% of them, endemic to the Hawaiian islands. The State of Hawai‘i is a co-manager of the Monument, including management of the Kure Atoll State Wildlife Sanctuary on Kure, which is the northernmost island in Papahānaumokuākea.  Hawai‘i is so fortunate to have benefactors like Marc and Lynne Benioff to help remove the debris that endangers our already endangered species.”

Over the past four years, PMDP has removed over 785,000 pounds of marine debris from the remote islands and atolls within PMNM. They aim to remove an additional 215,000 pounds later this year during two 30-day, ship-based cleanup missions scheduled for August through October 2024.

For more information about the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project and how to get involved, visit www.pmdphawaii.org. Follow PMDP on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @pmdphawaii.