More than 97,000 pounds of marine debris was removed from reefs and beaches of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (Northwestern Hawaiian Islands), including 86,000 pounds of ghost nets cleaned from a single reef.
Marine debris team joins the Papahanaumokuakea Marine Debris Project to remove fishing nets from coral reefs kitv.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kitv.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
July 21, 2021
They re beautiful & contribute $375B to the world s economy!
On our 4th episode of the American Blue Economy Podcast, we explore coral reefs. Coral reefs contribute to the US economy through areas such as dive tourism (June’s episode), support to fisheries (August), and contributions to coastal resilience (November). By one estimate, coral reefs provide economic goods and services worth about $375 billion each year worldwide. NOAA suggests that coral reefs in southeast Florida, for example, have an asset value of $8.5 billion, generating $4.4 billion in local sales, $2 billion in local income, and 70,400 full and part-time jobs. Additionally, in the United States, about half of all federally managed fisheries depend on coral reefs. NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service estimates the annual commercial and recreational value of U.S. fisheries from coral reefs to be over $200 million. But their future is challenged by a variety of factors, including bleaching,
The latest expedition focused on the shorelines of the various atolls, and a trip later this year will remove nets from the reefs that surround the islands.
A NOAA study estimated that the shores of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands accumulate about 57 tons (52 metric tons) of debris each year. An analysis of the upcoming reef removal is expected to estimate the total amount of debris that gathers on both the beaches and the critical reef ecosystems that surround them, giving researchers a more complete view of the problem.
The crew of 12, which included people from the marine debris project, federal agencies, Hawaii and a local university, removed debris from Laysan Island, Lisianski Island, Midway Atoll, French Frigate Shoals and Kure Atoll.
Plastics threaten remote Hawaii atolls' wildlife cbs19.tv - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbs19.tv Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.