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Derelict fishing gear in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands: diving surveys and debris removal in 1999 confirm threat to coral reef ecosystems |
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| Authors: | Donohue M J Boland R C Sramek C M Antonelis G A |
| Institution: | a National Marine Fisheries Service Honolulu Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, 2570 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA b Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii, 2570 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA |
| Abstract: | Marine debris threatens Northwestern Hawaiian Islands' (NWHI) coral reef ecosystems. Debris, a contaminant, entangles and kills endangered Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi), coral, and other wildlife. We describe a novel multi-agency effort using divers to systematically survey and remove derelict fishing gear from two NWHI in 1999. 14 t of derelict fishing gear were removed and debris distribution, density, type and fouling level documented at Lisianski Island and Pearl and Hermes Atoll. Reef debris density ranged from 3.4 to 62.2 items/km2. Trawl netting was the most frequent debris type encountered (88%) and represented the greatest debris component recovered by weight (35%), followed by monofilament gillnet (34%), and maritime line (23%). Most debris recovered, 72%, had light or no fouling, suggesting debris may have short oceanic circulation histories. Our study demonstrates that derelict fishing gear poses a persistent threat to the coral reef ecosystems of the Hawaiian Archipelago. |
| Keywords: | Marine debris contaminants Hawaiian monk seal coral reef fishing Northwestern Hawaiian Islands |
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