LIHU‘E — Free grab-and-go ocean-learning kits will be distributed Saturday at three different locations as a fun and educational addition to spring break for public schools.
As part of the Kukui Grove Center’s Spring Break Family Fun Day, the ocean-learning kits will be available outside Kaua‘i Ocean Discovery from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Following 1 p.m., the kits focusing on the topic of marine debris will be available at the Deja Vu Surf Hawai‘i at KGC, where the Family Fun Day will be taking place until 3 p.m.
Additionally, the kits sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program will be available at the Princeville Public Library starting at 9 a.m. Saturday. Historically, the Princeville Public Library has been a source for distribution of previous ocean-learning kits, and on those occasions have experienced brisk movement and sell-outs.
“I just spoke with someone from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, and they are excited about putting this kit together,” said Jean Souza, the on-site manager for Kaua‘i Ocean Discovery. “The kits should be a fun and educational addition to spring break.”
Labelled “Marine Debris 101,” the lessons and activities in the kit are designed to provide students and families with an introduction to marine debris, asking questions like “What is marine debris?” “What are the impacts of marine debris?” and “What can we do about marine debris?”
“Marine debris is a very large and serious problem,” said the NOAA Marine Debris Program. “But through learning and taking action, we can all work together to keep the sea free of debris.”
In a basic introduction to marine debris, the group authorized by Congress in 2006 to serve as the federal government’s lead for addressing marine debris said “Our ocean is filled with items that do not belong there. Huge amounts of plastics, metals, rubber, paper and textiles, derelict fishing gear, derelict vessels and other lost or discarded items enter the marine environment every day, making marine debris one of the most-widespread pollution problems facing the world’s ocean and waterways.”
Marine debris can cause a lot of problems for people, ecosystems and the economy.
As demonstrated by the recent news accounts of entangled whales in Hawaiian waters, including Kaua‘i waters, some wildlife become tangled up in fishing nets and plastic packing bands.
Other problems include lost fishing gear that continue to trap fish and other marine animals after it is out of control of a fisher, and many other types of marine debris can impact wildlife if the animals eat it, becoming ill or starving.
Marine debris is a complex and ever-growing problem, said the NOAA Marine Debris Program. It is up to everyone to play a role in the solution. There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to marine debris, and communities around the country are affected by marine debris in different ways.
More information is available at the website, marinedebris.noaa.gov/our-work/education.
•••
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
