Marine Debris in the

Pacific Islands

Marine debris litters the Kanapou Coast.

The main Hawaiian islands and the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument are prone to accumulating marine debris because of their central location in the North Pacific Gyre. Marine debris threatens coral reef and shoreline ecosystems, while also posing as an entanglement threat to endangered Hawaiian monk seals, humpback whales, and the threatened green sea turtles. Additionally, marine debris destroys habitats, introduces non-native species, and threatens navigation.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program works with local partners to address marine debris in the Pacific Islands through removals and prevention through education and outreach. The Pacific Island Region includes the entire Hawaiian archipelago and the territories American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Volunteers clean up the Kaho‘olawe coast.
Current Projects
A NOAA diver rescues a Hawaiian monk seal from a net.
Reports and Materials
Hawaii Wildlife Fund volunteers clean up the Big Island during the ICC.

Hot Topics

A coffee cup found on the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. (Photo Credit: NOAA)
Shoes that were collected in the NWHI.
Plastic disposable lighters.
Plastic bottle caps.
A laundry basket filled with plastic bottles.
Coral Removed from a Derelict Net.
A Laysan Albatross chick rests on a small derelict fishing net.
Broken Coral in a Derelict Fishing Net.
A pile of plastic toothbrush debris.
A monk seal sleeping on derelict nets.
A clean beach remains after a removal team removes debris from the eastern shoreline of Eastern Island. This photo is an after shot from the 2016 marine debris removal mission. (Photo Credit: NOAA PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program)
A Laysan Albatross couple practices their mating dance. (Photo Credit: NOAA PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program)
The Marine Debris team cutting the large bundle of thin plastic film into manageable pieces. (NOAA PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program)
The Marine Debris team removes a large bundle of thin plastic film weighing 270 kg. (594 lbs.) from the southeastern shoreline of Eastern Island. (Photo Credit: NOAA PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program)
Two piles of marine debris collected from separate 300-m shoreline segments are staged to be loaded onto the small boat. (NOAA PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program)
The Marine Debris team is removing marine debris, particularly derelict fishing gear, from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to reduce entanglement hazards to the critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal. (NOAA PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program).
A Marine Debris team member disentangling a Laysan Albatross chick from a small derelict fishing net. (Photo credit: NOAA CREP)
A Marine Debris team member picks out debris from the wrack-line where debris accumulates. (Photo credit: NOAA CREP)
After photo of the western shore of Eastern Island. The debris was bagged up and piled up for pick-up.
Before photo of the western shore of Eastern Island.
A plastic toilet seat washed up on the shoreline at Eastern Island, Midway Atoll.
People sitting on a large pile of debris.
The Marine Debris team removing derelict fishing nets from North Beach, Sand Island, Midway Atoll. (Photo Credit: NOAA CREP)
The Marine Debris team removing derelict fishing nets from North Beach, Sand Island, Midway Atoll.
A rubber boot washed up on the sandy shores of North Beach, Sand Island, Midway Atoll.
A curious Laysan Albatross checks out a toothbrush on the beach. Last year the Marine Debris team removed 705 toothbrushes and personal care items from the shorelines of Midway Atoll.
A Black-footed albatross sits among a beach filled with derelict fishing net.
The two 17' inflatable Zodiac MKIV work boats used to remove marine debris from the shorelines of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
A derelict fishing net washed up on the rocky shores of Sand Island, Midway Atoll.
A toy motorcycle washed up on the sandy shores of North Beach, Sand Island, Midway Atoll.
A flock of Laysan Albatrosses.
ICC volunteers scoop marine debris out of a trash boom in Honolulu.
Entangled hawksbill sea turtle in Hawaii.
NOAA divers stand on a pile of nets they removed in Hawaii.
Entangled Green Sea Turtle in Hawaii.
Debris Impact on Laysan Albatross
Entangled Green Sea Turtle.
Marine Debris in Hawaii
Derelict Vessel in American Samoa
Marine debris cleanup near South Point on the Island of Hawaii
Derelict fishing gear cleanup on a beach in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Entangled Seal
Pause
Click photo to enlarge

Image Gallery

Plastics found in the stomach of a deceased albatross.

Blog

In September 2014, a team from NOAA embarked on a 33-day mission aboard the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette to remove derelict fishing nets and plastics from the sensitive reefs, shallow waters, and shorelines of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

Video

Regional Coordinator

Mark Manuel - mark.manuel@noaa.gov

Funded Partners in the Region

Hawaii Wildlife Fund
Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission
Mokupapapa Discovery Center
Malama Learning Center
Mariana Islands Nature Alliance
Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii
FAQs
How can I obtain funding for a marine debris project?

The NOAA Marine Debris Program offers several nationwide, competitive funding opportunities for marine debris projects. These include: marine debris removal grants; prevention through education and outreach grants; and research grants. Learn more about these opportunities.

Now that some tsunami debris has arrived, what do you expect to happen in the future?

Tsunami debris began arriving on U.S. shores in the winter of 2011-2012 and has continued washing ashore in a scattered fashion ever since, mixing in with chronic marine debris. This pattern will likely continue. Beachgoers may notice an increase in debris on beaches, in addition to marine debris that normally washes up, depending on where ocean currents carry it.

Additional Resources