#marine debris removal

Pacific Whale Foundation is marking Earth Day 2025 with an expanded effort to remove marine debris from Maui’s nearshore reefs, including an ongoing campaign at Keoneʻōʻio (La Perouse Bay) and a new net removal mission off Molokaʻi.

The Department of Commerce and NOAA recommended more than $23 million in funding to support marine debris removal and interception efforts for 13 multi-year projects across 10 coastal US states, three territories and the District of Columbia. This funding is provided by NOAA’s Climate-Ready Coasts initiative under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. 

A team from the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project, a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit organization, returned to Honolulu on Wednesday, with 86,100 pounds of marine debris removed from shallow coral reefs and shorelines of the islands and atolls within Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. 

The University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program and its partners were awarded $5,120,959 to address rampant marine debris issues in Hawai‘i and develop urgently needed, innovative solutions that can be shared worldwide.

An estimated five tons of marine debris was airlifted this morning from Kaho‘olawe to Maui, with most of it destined for recycling as “new life” products, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

From March 30 through April 21, a team of scientists carried out a 24-day expedition to Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The expedition returned to Honolulu late Tuesday, April 20 with 47.2 tons of marine debris.