Fishing nets removed from ocean off Waikiki

An extremely heavy ball of derelict fishing nets reported near a popular surf break known as “Pops” in front of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki was removed this afternoon.

The state said three conservation officers and three city lifeguards recovered the heavy ball of nets on to a boat, with the assistance of a jet ski, which was then transported to the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor and lifted on to a dock. It is unknown whether the nets are part of the two-mile-long marine debris field that a fisherman first reported last weekend in the Ka Iwi Channel.

Lifeguards first reported the net mass about 300 yards off shore of “Pops” in front of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. State conservation officers familiar with the area where the net was spotted say it is unusual to find nets of this magnitude off of Waikiki.

Tomorrow, state workers will haul the nets to the city’s H-Power waste-to-energy plant at Campbell Industrial Park.

The U.S. Coast Guard has offered no further reports on the location of the two-mile-long marine debris field last spotted about nine miles south of Oahu. On Wednesday, a Coast Guard air crew was unable to locate it, and reported that it appears to have broken apart. The Coast Guard was unsuccssful at inserting a marker buoy, but search and rescue softward indicated it was drifting northeast, away from land.

The public is encouraged to report marine debris, whether in open water or on the beach, to DLNR at the following link, byemail to DLNR.marine.debris@hawaii.gov or at 587-0405.