MOLOA‘A — Fish nets are a handy tool for a fisherman, but a death trap for marine life if left discarded on the beach or in the ocean. Surfrider Kaua‘i, an environmental nonprofit group, aims to help keep beaches clean
MOLOA‘A — Fish nets are a handy tool for a fisherman, but a death trap for marine life if left discarded on the beach or in the ocean.
Surfrider Kaua‘i, an environmental nonprofit group, aims to help keep beaches clean across the island and organized an event Sunday morning at Larsen’s Beach where volunteers gathered fish nets and debris wedged in between rocks and lying in the sand.
“This is an awesome turnout,” said Sheri Saari, a volunteer for Surfrider. “I think we have over 20 people here.
“We need people really bad right now,” she added, emphasizing the importance of keeping Kaua‘i’s beaches clean and marine animals safe.
Saari went on to explain the atrocious effects garbage can inflict on nature, including the harm native seabirds endure when ingesting it.
“Flying fish eggs float on plastic bags in the ocean. A bird will scoop it up and regurgitate it to feed its baby,” she said.
Not only do plastics cause harm, but fish nets are reportedly the number one reason for whale injuries, according to Barbara Wiedner of Surfrider.
She said the nets can cause lacerations or weigh them down so much that they’re prevented from coming to the surface to breathe.
Because the nets Surfrider usually finds on the beaches are invariably large, she doesn’t believe most of them are from local fisherman.
“They’re washing up from around the world,” she said.
Wiedner has coordinated a campaign called Net Patrol where a group of volunteers are sent out to assist in removing nets across the island, as they can sometimes be so large and tangled, a team effort is required.
She added that it really only takes a short period of time to make a huge difference.
“The most exciting part about this is that when we get them off the beach, we don’t bring the nets to a landfill, we store them until they can get on Matson to be brought to O‘ahu and burned for fuel,” she said.
By removing debris off the beaches, Surfrider volunteers are benefiting the environment in many ways and are helping the community as well by keeping Kaua‘i’s beaches as pristine as possible.
Daniel Nelson, a volunteer on Sunday said he comes to Larsen’s Beach on a regular basis and even helps keep it clean on his own time.
“It’s my spot,” he said. “It’s my favorite place and I want to see it clean.”
Casey Holt, who lives on Ko‘olau Road, was also determined to give back to the island.
“This is my front yard,” he said. “I’m blessed.”
Not just kama‘aina were present for the beach clean-up, but visitors also decided to participate.
“We love it here on Kaua‘i,” said Dr. Tim Smith from Sebastopol, Calif. “This is a way to give back.”
Surfrider has a saying — Malama the sea, pick up three — that means anytime an individual is enjoying the beach, picking up just three pieces of garbage before they leave can create an impact.
Jeanette Robertson agrees that everyone should do their part in keeping the island clean. In fact, she has taken up a hobby that turns trash into treasure.
Robertson makes place mats and rag rugs out of recycled plastic bags, tortilla wrappers and even The Garden Island newspapers.
“Don’t throw it out, recycle it,” she said, adding that there are many ways people can reuse items that they might otherwise have pitched into the garbage bin.
Surfrider agrees that one of the most important ways to reduce the amount of garbage on Kaua‘i is to recycle and reuse bags or bottles whenever possible and cut back on the amount of packaging waste by purchasing items in bulk.
There are several “garbage patches” swirling around in the seas, and one is reportedly two to three times the size of Texas floating in between San Francisco and Hawai‘i and caught by underwater currents, according to Saari.
The “island” has been accumulating millions of pounds of garbage, mostly plastic, since the 1950s and will continue to do so until society begins to take better care and consideration of its waste.
Surfrider Foundation says plastics contribute to the deaths of more than 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals each year. Plastic does not biodegrade, it simply crumbles down into smaller and smaller pieces and “as a result, virtually every piece of plastic that has ever been produced still exists in some shape or form.”
Saari said two full truck loads of nets and debris were collected at the event Sunday and more would be picked up today.
To learn when the next beach cleanup is or how you can become a part of the Surfrider team, visit surfriderkauai.ning.com or call Saari at 652-4648.
If an individual discovers fish nets at a local beach, call Wiedner at 635-2593 for removal.
Coco Zickos, business writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or czickos@kauaipubco.com
