Marine Debris Outreach for Hawaii Cruise Lines
Pacific Region; 2006
Background
In Hawaii, marine debris not only impacts the beauty of our environment, but is a safety hazard for humans, causes damage to boats, and threatens many of our marine species through entanglement and the effects of ingestion. Marine debris also destroys habitat such as coral reefs, which are the basis of many of Hawaii's marine ecosystems. Not only is marine debris a problem in Hawaii, but it is one of the most pervasive forms of water pollution worldwide.
Much of the marine debris found on shorelines is from land-based sources, such as litter on a street. All marine debris originates, directly or indirectly, from human activities. It is therefore important to build awareness of this problem.
Each year in Hawaii the cruise ship industry hosts over 200,000 passengers from the mainland United States and abroad. Part of a worldwide trend, the number of passengers in Hawaii is slated to increase
Project Scope
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is Hawaii's dominant cruise operator, with three ships sailing in Hawaiian waters. NCL's dominance as a leading cruise ship operator, together with their desire to educate their guests and staff, provides a unique opportunity to foster new partnerships and to effectively and meaningfully deliver environmental outreach and education to a floating city of 2,000 weekly passengers (over 100,000 passengers per year).
This will serve as a pilot project for outreach to the cruise industry and cruise passengers by creating a marine debris display for NCL's Hawaii-based ships, to be displayed in a space donated by NCL. The display and accompanying outreach materials will inform crew and passengers of marine debris issues, causes, and potential solutions.
This program is funded through NOAA's Ocean Service, Office of Response & Restoration, Marine Debris Program.
