CNN Special – Hawaii Deals with Japan’s Tsunami Debris

Here is the video that aired on CNN – “Hawaii Deals with Japan’s Tsunami Debris”

While CNN was setting up shop, HWF and volunteers quickly removed over 200 pounds of marine debris from the coastline with an hour’s effort. And until there is a better solution, HWF and volunteers will continue to pick up the pieces here in Hawaiʻi nei.

FYI another follow-up story that focuses on marine debris problems in general, NOAA’s Nets-to-Energy Program, and recycled “ocean plastic” bottled cleaning products by SF-based company, Method, will air on CNN national and international broadcasting programs in April.

Hawaii Wildlife Fund to Be Featured on CNN – Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris and Kamilo Beach

On Tuesday (March 5th), Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund (HWF) staff and several volunteers brought an LA-based CNN news crew down to Kamilo Point to talk story about potential Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris and marine debris problems along the southeast coastline.

CNN correspondent Kyung Lah interviewing HWF’s Megan Lamson at Kamilo. Photo courtesy of Harold Leatherman/HWF volunteer.

The story will be told by CNN news correspondent Kyung Lah. The first part of this story will air on Mon., March 11^th at 9am Eastern Standard Time “EST” (4am in Hawaiʻi“ HST” so have your DVRs ready!), at 10am EST (5am HST), and will re-run throughout the day. HWF will post a link on their website  www.wildhawaii.org and on their Facebook page  www.facebook.com/hawaiiwildlifefund as soon as it appears online.

This story will appear as a special on the two-year anniversary of the huge tsunami that originated in the Fukushima district in Japan.

HWF would again like to express our deepest sympathy to the victims and victims’ family of this natural disaster. First and foremost, this event was a human tragedy. Thousands of people died, and yes indeed, tons of debris were also released into the ocean. While we are thankful for the amount of attention this event has caused for marine debris awareness around the globe, we want all of our volunteers to recognize that marine debris has been a serious problem for decades (basically since the invention of plastic). HWF has picked up international debris from shorelines throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago since 1998 and realizes that marine debris is a people problem, not solely the result of a single tsunami event or country of origin.

Let us not forget that each of us contributes to this problem daily by using (and improperly disposing of) single-use throwaway and non-recyclable plastic products.  In turn, we can each be part of the solution and choose to re-use, reduce, recycle, and refuse (excess packaging, single-use items, etc.) and participate in local cleanup events.

While CNN was setting up shop, HWF and volunteers quickly removed over 200 pounds of marine debris from the coastline with an hour’s effort. And until there is a better solution, HWF and volunteers will continue to pick up the pieces here in Hawaiʻi nei.

FYI another follow-up story that focuses on marine debris problems in general, NOAA’s Nets-to-Energy Program, and recycled “ocean plastic” bottled cleaning products by SF-based company, Method, will air on CNN national and international broadcasting programs in April.

Big Challenge Returns to Hawaiian Island Waters

U.S. Coast Guard feature story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric J. Chandler

On the morning of November 21^st, 2012, a group of specialists arrive at Coast Guard Station Maui to face an annual challenge here in the Hawaiian Islands. Humpback whale season is beginning, and this assembly of scientists and first responders prepare to combine their skills, in an effort to aid marine mammals that have been entangled in fishing gear or suffered from vessel collisions.

Humpback whales complete their annual migration to the most isolated archipelago in the world each year, usually between November and April. During these months they remain in the waters surrounding Hawaii to breed, give birth and nurse their young. While transiting to or living in the Hawaiian Islands, it is common to receive reports of injured humpback whales, or animals entangled in various kinds of large fishing gear like nets and lines.

Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Lundy and Seaman Darren Park, both from Coast Guard Station Honolulu, watch as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration members remove line caught on a yearling whale in waters west of Molokai, Hawaii.

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Program leads the effort to respond to entangled or injured humpback whales. The Coast Guard and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources work together with NOAA to respond to reports.

Entanglement and ship strikes are some of the primary threats to large whales, like the humpback. Since 2002, combined response efforts have freed 16 whales from life-threatening entanglements and more than a mile of gear has been removed from the animals.