| Header Photo: NOAA staff remove a large derelict net from the shoreline of Pearl and Hermes Atoll. Photo: NOAA
HI-MDAP partners and Hawai'i participants at 6IMDC
The Sixth International Marine Debris Conference took place on March 12-16 in San Diego, California. Mahalo nui to the 20+ Hawai'i participants for your valuable contributions to this international gathering. The event aimed to celebrate and encourage further global innovation, collaboration, and action around this far-reaching topic. Conference proceedings will be made available in the upcoming months.
 Cover design: Darris Hurst, Photos: Sean M. Hower
Submitted by: Gabrielle Schuerger
"The Art of Trash does not purport to solve this problem; it’s not that all of our trash can suddenly become useful or beautiful art. Rather, it points out the ingenuity of people in the face of solving complex problems without easy solutions. It shows that with effort and creativity, we can create something good out of something daunting and terrible."
 Photo: David Hyrenbach
Submitted by: David Hyrenbach
Six endangered
Short-tailed Albatross were necropsied. Ingested plastic in 3 of 4 juveniles (75%) and 1 of 2 adults
(50.0%) was found. The mean mass of plastic ingested was 0.2921g +/- 0.3250 SD. Fragments were the
most numerous plastic type by mass, accounting for 90.5%. Prevalence and loads
in chicks of this species was not quantified in this study.
Submitted by: Jens Currie
Pacific Whale Foundation launches ‘The Last Straw’ campaign.
Aimed at public awareness surrounding single-use plastics and marine debris,
‘The Last Straw’ will focus on convincing individuals to refuse or reuse
plastic straws. PacWhale Eco-Adventures stopped serving plastic drinking straws
in 2015 as part of their mission to protect our oceans through science and
advocacy.
 Jennifer Lynch and Melissa Jung at Melissa’s poster at 6IMDC
Submitted by: Jennifer Lynch
NIST and collaborators presented research results in the
Chemistry of Marine Debris session at 6IMDC.
Jennifer Lynch described an FT-IR method for identifying polymers of
plastic debris. Melissa Jung’s poster on polymers of ingested debris in sea
turtles showed the type of debris most important to mitigate. Kayla Brignac’s
poster on polymer composition of debris on windward vs leeward Hawaiian beaches
helped point to sources.
 Submitted by: Magen Schifiliti
The Blue‘Aina Campaign was started by Trilogy Excursions back in 2010. Blue‘Aina's objective is to cleanup and maintain Maui’s reefs and surrounding lands, educate the community, and lend volunteers and raise money to support a local non-profit. Blue‘Aina events are typically the first Sunday of every month and take place on the water or on land.
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