Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 1, 1 January 2016 — Kahoʻolawe cleared of marine debris [ARTICLE]

Kahoʻolawe cleared of marine debris

Volunteers cleared marine debris of the shores of Kaho'olawe in early December, thanks in part to the Japanese government. The project was funded by the Department of Land andNatural Resources' Japan Goodwill Fund. Hawaii received $250,000 in 2013, as part of a $5 million gift by the government of Japan to help pacific states address marine debris associated with the 2011 īōhoku

earthquake and tsunami. The early-December project yielded an estimated 1.5 tons of trash that was removed to Maui for disposal. The project cost was $30,000. "The volunteers have done an outstanding job clearing up our coastal ecosystem by removing derelict fishing gear, nets, a huge variety of plastics and other debris," said Miehael Nahoopii, executive director of the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission. "Their work helps promote the heahh of a wide variety of marine species including several species of threatened or endangered animals. Given the laek of state funding for this type of work, we're in debt to Japan for providing the necessary hnaneial resoures to enahle this effort."