Over 66 pounds of debris, such as fishing gear and golf balls, was collected off Oneloa Beach in Lahaina last weekend. MOC Marine Institute Photo

The Maui News

Over 66 pounds of debris, such as fishing gear and golf balls, which are harmful to marine wildlife, were removed from Oneloa Beach during a reef clean-up event last weekend.

Organized by Lahaina-based dive operator Dive with Harmony and Maui Ocean Center’s Marine Institute, about 14 divers collected a range of items during their 60-minute dive, including 1,445 feet of fishing line, 351 lead fishing weights, 46 golf balls, and multiple fishing hooks, lures, and other gear.

“Every year, more than 85 percent of sea turtle stranding cases on Maui are due to interactions with fishing gear,” said Tommy Cutt, MOC Marine Institute’s Executive Director, in a news release. “We are incredibly grateful for Dive with Harmony and all of the divers who participated in the cleanup on Saturday. We hope these efforts raise awareness and decrease harmful interactions between marine life and discarded fishing line.”

Dive with Harmony provided tanks, weights, and dive gear for all divers who joined the clean up at Oneloa, also called Ironwoods Beach.

MOC Marine Institute sends the fishing line collected to Berkeley Conservation Institute for recycling.

The organizations plan to host monthly public reef cleanups, with next month’s cleanup scheduled for Earth Day, April 22.

Follow Dive with Harmony and MOC Marine Institute on Instagram for information on upcoming cleanup events.

“We are so excited to join forces with MOC Marine Institute to bring the community together to work towards a cleaner and safer ocean for all animals, marine and humans alike,” said Harmony Colella, owner and founder of Dive with Harmony.