| More than 13 tons of derelict fishing gear has been removed from the fragile coral reef environment of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument during a recent 28-day multi-agency removal effort coordinated by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. "NOAA has a long-standing commitment to the people of Hawaii to address the issue of marine debris, both through identification and removal, as well as through research, education and public awareness of this critical issue affecting not only the health of the Hawaiian ecosystem, but the entire planet's oceans," said John H. Dunnigan, director of the NOAA Ocean Service, which oversees the NOAA Marine Debris Program. |
