Papahānaumokuākea cleanup reports 47,000-pound final haul

Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project reported that its third and final cleanup mission of 2026 removed 47,000 pounds of marine debris from Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The mission ran from Sept. 14 through Oct. 8. Hawaii News Now reported that crews also freed five green sea turtles entangled in debris.

The project’s reported haul included 28,730 pounds of net collected from the water, 15,290 pounds of net from shorelines and 2,980 pounds of shoreline plastic. Net made up most of the reported total. These are project-reported mission figures, not independently audited totals.

Three missions removed a reported 147,155 pounds

PMDP lists 51,475 pounds removed on its first 2026 mission and 48,680 pounds on its second. Adding the final mission’s 47,000 pounds brings the three reported hauls to 147,155 pounds. That combined figure is the arithmetic sum of the project’s mission totals.

The final haul was 1,680 pounds below the second mission’s reported total and 4,475 pounds below the first’s. The three figures show the project’s reported results for 2026; they do not establish how much debris remains in the monument or how much may accumulate later.

Hawaii News Now reported that crews freed five green sea turtles that had become entangled in debris. NOAA’s marine-debris information describes risks to wildlife and reef habitat in Papahānaumokuākea. The reported rescues and debris removal are mission results, rather than a measure of all wildlife affected or all debris present in the area.

Project says it is seeking support for continued cleanup

Hawaii News Now reported that PMDP considers its five-year Catch-up and Keep-up Initiative complete and is seeking funding and partnerships for continued cleanup. The initiative’s stated completion is distinct from the end of cleanup work: the project is seeking support for further efforts.

A public USAspending award page for cooperative agreement NA26NMFX463C0238 did not display award-level details. The accessible record therefore does not establish whether the agreement was awarded to PMDP, its amount or status, or whether it would pay for cleanup after the initiative’s completion. PMDP’s reported completion and search for support do not, by themselves, establish whether other funding is secured.

The mission took place in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. No date for another mission is established by the reported mission information or Hawaii News Now’s account.