HONOLULU (The Associated Press) - Jan 14

 

Eleven companies and government agencies have come together to launch a new program to turn derelict fishing and cargo nets into electrical energy, a federal agency said Friday.

Fishermen will continue to voluntarily retrieve the co-called ghost nets from the sea and transport them to Honolulu Harbor, according to the Western Pacific Regional Management Council.

But instead of winding up in a city landfill, the nets will be chopped up and taken to the city's H-Power facility, where they will be burned to produce electricity, the agency said.

Funding for the project was secured through the efforts of U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii.

"Marine debris, including abandoned gear and lost cargo, haunts our oceans, entangling and killing fish, marine mammals and seabirds," Inouye said.

"This innovative program no only rids the oceans of debris, but will produce alternative energy to serve the community," he said.

Tons of ocean debris are removed by island fishermen each year, federal officials said.

One ton of derelict nets can generate enough electricity to power an Oahu household for five months, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

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On the net:

Western Pacific Regional Management Council: http://www.wpcouncil.org/