MARINE DEBRIS REMOVAL AND ASSESSMENT AT MIDWAY ATOLL THE NORTHWESTERN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

Stretching for 1900 km northwest of the eight main Hawaiian Islands is a chain of mostly uninhabited islands and atolls collectively known as the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). This unique area encompasses 362,073 km2 (139,797 mi2) of the North Pacific Ocean and was designated the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) in 2006 and a World Heritage Site in 2010. Inside the boundaries of the PMNM are reefs, atolls, and shallow and deep-sea habitats, including ~ 70 % of all tropical, shallow-water (< 200 m) coral reef habitat in the United States (Executive Order 13178). The extensive coral reefs found in the PMNM are home to more than 7000 marine species, one quarter of which are found only in the Hawaiian Archipelago. The relatively small emergent land areas of these islands, a combined 15 km2, provide breeding and nesting habitat for 14 million seabirds representing 22 species, including four species found nowhere else in the world. Since 1996, NOAA Fisheries and multiple agency partners have conducted surveys and removal of marine debris in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands on a nearly annual basis. In the 17 years since these efforts began, nearly 769 metric tons (1.7 million lb) of primarily derelict fishing gear have been removed from the shallow reefs and shorelines