Five years, seven atolls, 1.3 million pounds of ocean trash — gone

Papahanaumokuakea, the vast marine sanctuary northwest of Hawaii's main islands, is home to monk seals, turtles and albatross — and, because ocean currents deliver it, a steady tide of lost fishing gear and plastic. The Papahanaumokuakea Marine Debris Project has just come home from its 2026 season, completing a five-year effort that has removed more than 1.3 million pounds of debris since 2020. In 2026 alone, crews spent 65 days at sea across seven atolls and removed over 147,000 pounds. The project, supported by NOAA's Marine Debris Program through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, says the backlog is now cleared — the job from here is keeping up.

SDG 14 · Life below water — Mechanism: institutional program