Protecting Hawaii's Most Remote and Fragile Ecosystems
Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project completes 2026 field season and five-year
Catch-Up and Keep-Up Initiative, surpassing 1.3 million pounds
of marine debris removed since 2020
HONOLULU, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project (PMDP) returned home to Honolulu on October 8, completing its 2026 field season and a five-year effort to remove marine debris threatening the reefs, shorelines, and wildlife of Papahānaumokuākea.
Founded in 2019, PMDP conducted its inaugural mission in 2020 and has since removed more than 1.3 million pounds of marine debris from Papahānaumokuākea. More than 1 million pounds have been removed during the organization's five-year Catch-up and Keep-up Initiative, launched in 2022 to address the region's substantial backlog of marine debris while keeping pace with debris continuing to accumulate each year.
The five-year initiative is supported by a 2022 award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Additional support was provided by philanthropists Marc and Lynne Benioff, as well as private donations and grants from small foundations.
In 2026 alone, PMDP conducted three expeditions totaling 65 days at sea and removed more than 147,000 pounds of marine debris. Field operations reached Lalo (French Frigate Shoals), Kamokuokamohoaliʻi (Maro Reef), Kamole (Laysan), Kapou (Lisianski), Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Atoll), Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll), and Hōlanikū (Kure Atoll).
The final expedition in 2026 departed Honolulu on September 14, with PMDP's highly trained crew conducting cleanup operations at Kamole, Kapou, Manawai, and Hōlanikū. During the mission, the team removed 47,000 pounds of marine debris, including 28,730 pounds of derelict fishing nets from coral reefs, 15,290 pounds of nets from shorelines, and 2,980 pounds of plastics from shorelines.
Derelict fishing nets and other marine debris can damage coral habitat and entangle threatened and endangered wildlife. During the expedition, PMDP's field team rescued five green sea turtles from marine debris entanglements, safely freeing the animals.
The expedition also brought Papahānaumokuākea directly to classrooms across Hawaiʻi. On September 24, PMDP hosted the first-ever live virtual broadcast from a small boat on a coral reef within Papahānaumokuākea, connecting more than 300 participants (primarily Hawaiʻi students) with the field team at Manawai. The interactive livestream gave students a rare, real-time look at the wildlife, reefs, and conservation work occurring nearly 1,200 miles from Honolulu.
The completion of the Catch-up and Keep-up Initiative marks a major milestone in PMDP's work. Since 2020, its crews have not only removed more than 1.3 million pounds of debris, but also rescued three Hawaiian monk seals, 20 green sea turtles, and numerous seabirds and other marine wildlife from marine debris entanglements.
With the five-year initiative now complete, PMDP is seeking new funding and partnership opportunities to continue large-scale marine debris removal and prevent debris from rebuilding across these remote and ecologically important ecosystems.
To learn more, support PMDP's work, or sign up for updates, visit pmdphawaii.org.
ABOUT PMDP: The Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project (PMDP) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the wildlife and critical habitats of the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary and Marine National Monument from marine debris. Through annual large-scale cleanup expeditions, research, innovation, education and partnerships, PMDP works to build a lasting culture of stewardship for one of the world's most extraordinary ocean ecosystems.
SOURCE Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project (PMDP)
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