Climate Action United States Project #42171

Clean-Up Tons of Debris from the Ocean & Beaches

by Ocean Defenders Alliance

Project Report | Mar 9, 2020
ODA Volunteers Continue to Clean-Up into 2020, March Update

By Michelle Lehto | Project Leader

You’re appreciated at ODA!

I’m sure you agree…nothing feels better than knowing our volunteers pull massive abandoned traps, tires, and hundreds of pounds of net and plastic trash from beaches and waterways.

We're happy to share – since our last report – that because of your support ODA’s teams of volunteers have participated in numerous clean-up outings, Here's some highlights:

Mid-December 2019, twenty-three (23) of our Hawai'i crew managed to remove hazardous ghost gear despite challenges. The haul wasn’t as large as is usual, but we still got about 70 pounds of lead weights and 1,000 feet of fishing lines.
Early January 2020, numerous volunteers removed microplastics and trash of all kinds from 2 beaches in Hawai'i.
Late January 2020, forty-five (45) volunteers descended on & in Honokohau Harbor. In all, we removed roughly 2,000 pounds of marine debris of all sorts, plus 45 tires!! The floor of the harbor let loose a sigh of relief as 5,300 pounds of debris will pollute the harbor no more.
In February 2020, volunteers collected debris on and below the surface near Los Angeles Harbor. The team removed fishing line, mylar balloons, and about 50 pounds of gill nets.

Our unfortunate reality is that people continue to pollute, and commercial fishing operations continually lose deadly fishing gear. Every year, more than 600,000 tons of commercial fishing equipment is lost in our global oceans.

As you can see ODA’s work is vital! You and your ODA teams are pulling together to remove debris from our life-giving oceans; it’s a partnership made in oceanic heaven. We have the same heart for the ocean ecosystems, and we have the same goal of making it safe for all forms of life!

THANK YOU for joining the “fight alongside us” in defense of ocean life. With your help, ODA’s crews save more wildlife & clean more water!

Please read about our 45-volunteer Hawai'i harbor cleanup or take a moment to check-out our recently refreshed website:
https://www.oceandefenders.org/

Links:

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Dec 6, 2019
ODA's Clean-Up 2000lbs Project Success, December 1, 2019 Update

By Michelle Lehto | Project Leader

We're happy to report that with YOUR help, we have already exceeded our goal of removing 2,000 pounds of ocean debris before the end of the year!

To be exact -- 2,035 pounds, over a ton -- that's a huge accomplishment!

That debris we collected includes abandoned lobster traps, trap remnants, fishing nets, lead fishing weights, plastics, and many other types of human pollution.

We're very close to our goal of pulling 4,000+ feet of trap/fishing line from the ocean. We expect to exceed that goal on the next debris-removal outing by your dedicated Oahu volunteer crew.

You'll be happy to know that since the start of this project (September 9, 2019), ODA’s teams of volunteers have participated in 10 clean-up outings (7 at sea, 3 inland). Several more outings are scheduled in December, however, bad weather in Southern California is already interrupting our plans. We may likely shift from an at-sea outing, to a shoreline cleanup to recover large amounts of plastics that make their way from inland to the coast during heavy rains.

New Ghost Gear Cleanups

We’re excited to share that on October 1st, ODA-Hawai'i kicked off a new cleanup site in Oahu: Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, a Marine Protected Area! With your support, we look forward to protecting this area for years to come.

Also, recently we’ve been asked by Biologist Mike Couffer of Grey Owl Biological Consulting to help defend the Giant Black Sea Bass population. In November, we performed our first of many clean-ups in our effort to help this species survive.

During the last few months, our dedicated volunteers organized and participated in 2 clean-ups of our “adopted” flood control channel, a mile-long stretch of a water channel in Fullerton, California. It's important to stop that debris before it makes its way to the ocean!

We end this report with a sincere thank you: YOU make these ocean cleanups happen. From all our divers & boat crew and other volunteers helping on shorelines and behind the scenes—and on behalf of the various salty forms of marine flora and fauna we work to protect—please accept our gratitude!

Please take a moment to enjoy more photos and stories from our recent clean-up missions, here on our website:

https://www.oceandefenders.org/news-and-media/oda-articles/

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