Mary Crowley presented at a workshop addressing the tsunami debris approaching the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. All at the conference are looking for solutions to do selective cleanup of the debris in efforts to protect Midway and the Pacific Northwest.

Our cameras head out thousands of miles from the nearest land to a sea of garbage in the Pacific Ocean called the Eastern Garbage Patch. Trash has been quietly accumulating here for decades and most of it takes the form of millions of tiny plastic particles—a “plastic soup,” some have called it. Nobody knows what damage it could be doing to the ocean ecosystem and many experts say it’s virtually impossible to clean up. Dan Rather Reports

The Pacific Ocean is choking on plastic— bottles, buoys, toys, even lawn chairs. Some experts say cleanup is not only impossible but strategically misguided. Into this controversy sails Mary Crowley, a former sea captain with miracles on her mind. – Mary Crowley, in More Magazine

The July / August 2011 More Magazine issue includes an article about Mary Crowley and Project Kaisei. Read it here.

Local researchers said Thursday that fish in the middle depths of the North Pacific Ocean probably consume tens of thousands of tons of plastic debris each year. link

Acording to recent research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. Mary Crowley, founder of Project Kaisei, a nonprofit initiative that supported the Scripps research stated “Now that we know these toxins are getting into … our food chain, I believe it makes it even more important to do cleanup and to stop the flow of plastics in the global ocean.”

Sunday, Mar 20 : Observations from Around the World and Two Expeditions to the North Pacific Gyre

Tuesday, Mar 22 : The Development of Marine Debris Collection Equipment

Thursday, Mar 24 : The Last Three Years : Perspectives from Project Kaisei

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United Nations Environment Programme are co-organizers of the conference, which will bring together international marine debris researchers, natural resource managers, policy makers, industry representatives, and the nongovernmental community. This conference will highlight research advances, allow sharing of strategies and best practices to assess, reduce, and prevent the impacts of marine debris, and provide an opportunity for the development of specific bilateral or multi-country strategies.

Everyone onboad is moved by seeing our garbage floating around us mid-ocean.
The crew of Kaisei includes sailors, surfers, scientists, teachers, environmentalists. By sharing this experience, everyone is becoming an advocate for the world’s oceans. Seeing marine debris, and the broken down small pieces of plastic everywhere, helps to inspire people to create changes in their own lives, and to educate others about the need for stewardship of our precious ocean world.

We declared a party Saturday night, so after another delicious dinner prepared by our Chef Adam Chang, people dressed up a bit, enjoyed brownies, sea shanties and Art Mercereau reading from Melville. It was a spectacular evening! The good spirits were enhanced by a beautiful sunset and moonrise, creating a magical atmosphere on the decks of Kaisei.

The rest of the morning was spent enthusiastically recording and collecting trash, boats from KAISEI and from our inflatables. The spirit of the crew is great, knowing the importance of our mission. Ocean Conservancy’s 25th International Coastal Clean-up has begun in the gyre (August 19, 2010) in collaboration with Ocean Voyages Institute/PROJECT KAISEI.

Heading further West toward the high pressure area and the site recommended by the University of Hawaii oceanographers.

SAN FRANCISCO – August 19, 2010 — Project Kaisei, an ongoing ocean cleanup initiative of Ocean Voyages Institute, has launched a second expedition from San Francisco Bay to the North Pacific Gyre. Following on the heels of Project Kaisei’s 2009 expedition which focused on rigorous science and studying the plastic debris levels and impact, this mission is focused on analyzing and proofing debris tracking models and further testing collection technologies to remove the variety of plastic debris from the ocean. The debris collected will be recycled, repurposed, and tested for conversion to fuel and used for education and public awareness. The expedition is expected to return into San Diego Harbor on September 2nd, just before Labor Day weekend. Ocean Conservancy marine scientist Nicholas Mallos will be part of the voyage’s science team. The voyage will also help launch Ocean Conservancy’s 25th annual International Coastal Cleanup.

Download the full press release ( pdf )