Hawaii launches hotline to report ghost fishing nets
CALEB JONES, Associated Press
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A measuring stick lays among ghost nets at Hawaii Pacific University s Center for Marine Debris Research on Wednesday, May 12, 2021 in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Researchers are conducting a study that will attempt to trace derelict fishing gear that washes ashore in Hawaii back to the manufacturers and fisheries that it came from.Caleb Jones/AP
HONOLULU (AP) Hawaii has a new hotline to report ghost fishing nets, derelict gear and other plastic debris that washes ashore across the Hawaiian archipelago.
In a statement Thursday, state officials announced the new hotline, which uses phrasing from the Hawaii Pidgin language in the number: 833-4-Da-Nets.
Home » Latest News, Newsroom » DLNR NEWS RELEASE: NEW HOTLINE ESTABLISHED TO REPORT DERELICT FISHING GEAR
DLNR NEWS RELEASE: NEW HOTLINE ESTABLISHED TO REPORT DERELICT FISHING GEAR
Posted on Jun 3, 2021 in Latest News, Newsroom
(HONOLULU) – The State and four non-profit organizations have teamed up to create a new statewide number to report marine debris. Derelict fishing gear, like nets, is responsible for entangling marine life like turtles and humpback whales.
Kristen Kelly with the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) Protected Species Program explained, “The idea is to have people call in hazardous nets immediately. We can mount a rapid response to remove these nets from our shorelines as quickly as possible and before they drift back into the open ocean.
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Hawaii has a new hotline to report ghost fishing nets, derelict gear and other plastic debris that washes ashore across the Hawaiian archipelago.
In a statement Thursday, state officials announced the new hotline, which uses phrasing from the Hawaii Pidgin language in the number: 833-4-Da-Nets.
State wildlife officials partnered with environmental groups to create the hotline so people can report marine debris that can then be quickly removed.
As they drift throughout the ocean, ghost nets and other fishing line continue to catch fish, sometimes entangling Hawaii s humpback whales, sea turtles, endangered Hawaiian monk seals and seabirds.
“The idea is to have people call in hazardous nets immediately, Kristen Kelly of Hawaii s Division of Aquatic Resources Protected Species Program said in the statement. “We can mount a rapid response to remove these nets from our shorelines as quickly as possible and before they drift back into the open ocean.”