A group of Kauai volunteers has successfully removed tons of abandoned fishing nets and plastic debris from some of Kauai’s most rugged and hard-to-reach shorelines, using helicopters to haul out the dangerous marine waste.
Surfrider Foundation’s Kauai Chapter wrapped up its seventh annual Operation Airlift earlier this month, a mission that involved nine cleanup trips between May and July along the coastline south of Moloaa.
During these outings, volunteers carried 36 large “super sacks” filled with discarded fishing nets and other plastics — each weighing around 250 pounds — across steep, rocky terrain.
On Saturday, Jack Harter Helicopters airlifted the sacks to a staging area, where the debris will be sorted and processed at Surfrider Kauai’s Marine Debris Baseyard in Kapaa over the coming week.
The majority of the material removed — about 60% — consisted of so-called ghost nets, fishing nets lost or discarded at sea that continue to trap marine animals for years. The nets pose a serious hazard to protected species such as humpback whales, Hawaiian monk seals and sea turtles, often causing injury or death.
Globally, it is estimated that some 640,000 tons of ghost gear enter the oceans annually, representing up to 10% of all marine litter, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
Kauai’s rugged coastline and strong ocean currents make the island especially vulnerable to the accumulation of such debris, often washing ashore from distant fishing operations across the Pacific.
Surfrider Kauai Chapter reported that Kauai’s coastline receives hundreds of thousands of pounds of ghost nets every year, mostly from commercial fishing operations — many of them weigh over 1,000 pounds and arriving as tangled masses of rope and netting.
Surfrider Kauai began its Net Patrol program in 2007 to combat the growing threat. Volunteers regularly hike into remote areas to find and extract nets and debris, often battling dense vegetation and unstable terrain.
Operation Airlift, which uses helicopter support to reach inaccessible stretches of coastline, is among the most challenging efforts to date.
According to NOAA Fisheries, entanglement in ghost nets is among the leading causes of injury and death for endangered species such as the Hawaiian monk seal, which numbers fewer than 1,400 individuals, as well as federally protected green sea turtles.
The nets continue to “ghost fish” for years, trapping and killing marine life even after being abandoned.
“This is a team accomplishment that wouldn’t be possible without our core Net Patrol volunteers,” Scott McCubbins, Surfrider Kauai Treasurer and co-coordinator of beach cleanup and net patrol, said. “Every week they show up, rain or shine, to protect our ocean and wildlife. But we also need to address the root cause — about 85% of these nets and other fishing-related plastics come from the commercial fishing industry. There are already rules for proper disposal, and it’s critical that we enforce them.”
In 2024, a Surfrider report ranked three Kauai beaches among the nation’s dirtiest due to marine debris, underscoring the urgency of continued cleanup and prevention efforts.
Volunteers interested in joining Surfrider Kauai’s ongoing Net Patrol efforts or reporting marine debris can call 808-635-2593.
Source: The Garden Island