Net Patrol with Surfrider Kauaʻi

On Kauai’s windward shores, thousands of pounds of plastic pollution wash ashore every year – most from commercial fishing operations, with fishing nets being the main culprit. The tides bring in tangled masses of ropes and lines, many weighing over 1,000 pounds. We launched “Net Patrol” in 2007 in response to the growing problem of debris on outlying beaches and coastlines. Removing the net masses requires digging, cutting, dragging, and hauling. It is important to get to the nets before the next high tide, so we mobilize Net Patrol to remove them. If left on the coastline, the ocean will wash them out again, where they can entangle fish, monk seals and turtles – or ensnare coral heads.

Net Patrol is a unique cleanup that is physically challenging and oftentimes requires carrying heavy nets, using knives to cut through net, and walking along difficult and rocky terrain. They are usually scheduled a month in…