Fantastic work by the NOAA Marine Debris team! This past week, they disentangled two very, very lucky green turtles at Pearl and Hermes Atoll, part of the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge in thePapahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument! Derelict fishing gear is one of the primary threats to endangered and threatened marine species in the monument.
Pearl and Hermes Atoll is a true atoll that is primarily underwater and has numerous islets, seven of which are above sea level. Hawaiian monk seals and sea turtles breed and feed at the atoll, and it is a mating area for spinner dolphins. Also, about 160,000 birds from 22 species are seen. They include black-footed albatrosses, Tristram's storm petrels and one of two recorded Hawaiian nest sites of little terns:http://1.usa.gov/1z5KpmH.
More on NOAA's annual mission to remove derelict nets and other marine debris from sensitive coral reefs and shorelines in the National Monument:http://bit.ly/1w30a8h.
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