HI HCR198

Request Hawaii's congressional delegation to advocate for enforcement of existing international laws to reduce ghost nets entering the state from international waters

Request congressional delegation to advocate for establishing a requirement that United States fishing vessels mark their fishing gear for identification

Request congressional delegation to create financial incentives to retrieve and dispose of floating fishing gear

Cite that 115,000 pounds of ghost nets annually wash into Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument from international waters, with approximately 1 million pounds accumulated despite ongoing cleanup efforts

Note that ghost nets killed 87 endangered Hawaiian monk seals between 2006 and 2014 and can pollute oceans for up to 600 years