Marine debris & derelict fishing gear

Names and classification

Record type

threat

Kauaʻi occurrence and status

Recorded state

Active / episodic accumulation

Threats and conservation

Pressure source

Land- and ocean-based plastic, rope, nets and lost fishing gear

Exposure pathway

Entanglement/ingestion; abrasion and smothering of reef/coastal habitat

Consequences

Injury/death, ingestion, entanglement and physical coral damage

Affected requirements

Wildlife survival, coral integrity and shoreline habitat quality

Susceptibility

Sea turtles, marine mammals, seabirds, fishes, reefs and beaches

Reversibility

Locally reversible by removal, but recurring input requires prevention

Early warning indicators

Debris density/mass; entanglements; ghost-gear hotspots; ingestion records

Conservation interventions

Implementation limits

Magnitude, exposure and trend are not assumed uniform across Kauaʻi; local evidence governs.

Sources and further reading

• https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/sentinel-site-program/hawaiihumpbackwhale/marine-debris.html

Connected Atlas records

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• Nearshore pelagic coastal-water ecosystem · Ecosystems
• Offshore islet coastal & seabird ecosystem · Ecosystems
• Marine-debris removal & entanglement response · Threats & Conservation
• Community & cultural stewardship partnerships · Threats & Conservation