HONOLULU—Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today presented a grant to the Western and Central Pacific Fishing Line Recycling Program. The grant, totaling nearly $30,000 will help establish fishing line recycling centers in Hawaii and Guam and was made possible through a partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program. This project has been funded as part of the Marine Debris Grants Program, which provides grants to improve our understanding of the impacts of marine debris, and reduce and prevent debris in our marine environment.
The recycling program anticipates communities will use these recycling centers as a better option for disposing fishing line which can become tangled in corals or swallowed by marine life.
"This new effort is a great example of the value of public-private partnerships," said Gutierrez. "Marine debris is a serious problem in Hawaii, but it is a problem that everyone can help overcome. I want to thank all the partners who have made this program a success." Christine Woolaway, who accepted the grant as coordinator of the newly funded fishing line recycling program said, "This program is a great example of an initiative, begun by the fishing industry. Not only will this program help to get fishing line out of the environment and properly taken care of, but also increase awareness about fishing line recycling programs and make the information more accessible overall. This program exemplifies what is possible when government, industry, and community come together." Derelict fishing gear can snag on coral reefs causing extensive damage; entangle marine mammals, turtles, and other wildlife; and pose a safety hazard to vessels.
Marine debris clean-up is especially important in the newly-designated Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument. Earlier today, Gutierrez participated with Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle in a ceremony signing a memorandum of agreement on managing the new monument.
A multi-agency marine debris partnership, made up of federal, state, local, non-governmental, industry and academia partners, has recycled more than 580 tons of debris removed from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands since 1996 by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center 's marine debris team. A survey of the main Hawaiian Islands conducted in May 2006 found a total of 711 marine debris sites, comprising an estimated 250,000 pounds of debris. A pilot clean-up effort removed more than 15 tons of debris on Oahu.
Because of the success of Hawaii's marine debris to energy partnership, projects such as the Honolulu Derelict Net Recycling Program, a dedicated port receptacle at Pier 38 in Honolulu Harbor, exists and thousands of pounds of derelict fishing net have been turned into usable electricity instead of being added to landfills. Approximately 100 tons of derelict fishing net will produce enough electricity to power an estimated 43 Oahu homes for a year.
Each year NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, awards approximately $900 million in grants to members of the academic, scientific and business communities to assist the agency in fulfilling its mission to study the Earth's natural systems in order to predict environmental change, manage ocean resources, protect life and property, and provide decision makers with reliable scientific information. NOAA's goals and programs reflect a commitment to these basic responsibilities of science and service to the nation for the past 35 years.
A nonprofit established by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) sustains, restores and enhances the Nation's fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Through leadership conservation investments with public and private partners, NFWF is dedicated to achieving maximum conservation impact by developing and applying best practices and innovative methods for measurable outcomes. Since its establishment, NFWF has awarded over 8,000 grants to nearly 3,000 organizations in the United States and abroad and leveraged--with its partners--more than $340 million in federal funds, for a total of over $1 billion in conservation.
On the Web: NOAA - http://www.noaa.gov/ NOAA's Marine Debris Program - http://www.marinedebris.noaa.gov/ NFWF - http://www.nfwf.org/
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce
