Marine Debris Program Pacific Islands News

The 20-by-6-foot skiff, covered in barnacles, was found floating northeast of Maui by the crew of the 'F/V Zephyr' who towed it in and cleaned it up. On the heels of Hawaii’s first confirmed report of Japan tsunami debris, NOAA and its partners are already examining the second confirmed item: a barnacled skiff which a fisherman found off the Hawaii coast—and which he wants to keep. Using the skiff’s registration number, NOAA worked through the Japan Consulate in Hawaii to track down its owner, who expressed no interest in having it returned or in whom took possession of it.