Marine Debris of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands: Ghost Net Identification.

摘要

A successful and novel multi-agency marine debris removal program, focusing on the underwater removal of derelict fishing gear, has been conducted in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) from 1998-2004 (Donohue 2003). The NWHI are the islands, atolls, and associated reefs of the Hawaiian Archipelago that extend for 1200 miles beyond the better-known eight main Hawaiian Islands. The NWHI are tremendously rich in natural resources and arguably represent the most pristine coral reef ecosystem on Earth today. This publication summarizes debris removal sites, the mechanisms for net accumulation in the NWHI, the impacts of derelict fishing gear on these pristine coral reef ecosystems, the multi-agency debris removal program, the analyses conducted on recovered nets, and information on the source of 250 net samples removed from NWHI coral reefs.