Ocean crew says tons of debris still pose danger

By David Briscoe
Associated Press

Divers finished collecting 60 tons of nets and other debris from around the uninhabited Northern Hawaiian Islands on Tuesday, but government scientists say as much as 100 tons still remain, potentially harming coral and entangling rare monk seals, turtles and other ocean wildlife.

Crews on four ships spent three months under sometimes risky conditions collecting derelict fishing gear and junk left behind by boats plying the Pacific. The tiny islands and coral reefs that extend across hundreds of miles to Kure Atoll catch the debris carried by ocean currents.

Several government agencies and private organizations took part with more than two dozen scientists and researchers in the $3 million clean-up led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

NOAA research ship Townsend Cromwell returned to Honolulu on Tuesday with nine scientists. The three other ships were expected to return before the end of the month, said Wende Goo, education and outreach coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Services' Honolulu laboratory. The agency is part of NOAA.

"Divers spent many, many hours actually cutting away piece by piece netting entangled on coral," Goo said. "A lot of the debris is very harmful to the coral."

One crew rescued a Hawaiian green sea turtle, a threatened species, near French Frigate Shoals, Goo said. "They were able to release it alive and unharmed."

Monk seals, birds and other creatures also could be harmed by the debris, she said. Some items may be ingested and others could trap the animals.

The debris, to be sent to a recycler, includes miles of nets and fishing line, plastic containers, fishing floats, burnt-out light sticks, hooks and domestic items such as laundry baskets, slippers, light bulbs, clothes hangers and cigarette lighters.

Fishermen don't intentionally dump nets and lines into the sea, but they often cut nets that become entangled, and items can be washed overboard in rough seas, Goo said.

Debris collection can be dangerous. Goo said there were encounters with sharks, and one crew member was thrown overboard from an inflatable boat. No one was injured.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are generally off-limits to boaters, and permits are required from NOAA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the state of Hawai'i to land on any of the islands.

Clean-up vessels were stationed at Kure Atoll and Pearl Hermes Reef, with a third ship, the American Islander, making stops at both places every couple of weeks to pick up debris.

Scientists at the Honolulu laboratory are examining the debris to track its origins. U.S. agencies plan to work with other countries to help educate fishermen and others on responsible use of the oceans.

The goal is to clean all debris from the region. More than 118 tons has been collected since a clean-up was first organized in 1998.

Scientists say the 100 tons that remain still pose a serious danger, especially to curious Hawaiian monk seal pups who often drown after they become entangled in fishing nets.