HONOLULU (KHON2) -- Imagine walking along a pristine beach, the sand warm beneath your feet, the sound of waves crashing in the distance. Amongst the scattered debris of fishing nets, plastic waste and driftwood, you spot something out of the ordinary: a glass bottle. But this isn't just any bottle. Inside it is a message, a story from afar. For marine biologists like Marylou Staman, Jonathan Plissner and Dan Link, these rare "messages in bottles" are more than just curious finds. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You They’re a reminder of the long journey these bottles make across the vast ocean, and of the human impact on these remote islands. Marylou Staman: A message in the midst of turtle research Marylou Staman, a marine biologist with the Marine Turtle Biology and Assessment Program (MTBAP) at NOAA Fisheries, has spent years researching green sea turtles, or honu, at remote locations like Lalo, an atoll within Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. For Staman, the discovery of a message in a bottle while conducting turtle research is a moment she’ll never forget. Staman recalled, “I was working up at Lalo, which is the primary nesting site for honu, and I remember walking around the island one night with my red headlamp. Our research requires us to use red light because white light can disturb the turtles. I was crouched behind a turtle that was laying her eggs when I spotted a glass bottle among the debris.” As she approached the bottle, she noticed something inside. “It had a cork, and I could just make out what looked like a scroll inside. I couldn’t resist. I set the bottle aside, finished my work with the turtle, and ran back to the tent to share the find with my research assistant,” she said, her excitement still evident in her voice. The message, which had been tossed from a shipping container traveling between San Francisco and Honolulu, read, “FAIR WINDS AND FOLLOWING SEAS. GOOD LUCK TO WHOEVER FINDS THIS MESSAGE.” The coordinates on the note confirmed that the bottle had come from about halfway between the two cities. “It was a thrilling discovery. But even then, I knew that it was just one of many pieces of debris washed up on these islands,” Staman reflected. “The bottle was fun to find, but it also highlighted the tragic reality of the ocean’s pollution.” The vast amount of debris that washes up on remote islands is a growing concern for marine biologists like Staman. “While that bottle was a unique find, the amount of waste we see on the beaches now is overwhelming. It’s not just one bottle; it’s fishing nets, plastics, and all kinds of materials that harm the ecosystem,” she explained. “We spend so much of our time cleaning up, which takes away from the critical research we’re doing to protect animals like the honu.” Jonathan Plissner: Connecting with the past through a message in a bottle Jonathan Plissner, a supervisory wildlife biologist at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, has encountered several messages in bottles throughout his career. As someone who has spent more than seven years on Midway, Plissner is all too familiar with the challenges posed by marine debris. But he’s also had the privilege of connecting with people through the messages found on the island's shores. “One of the more memorable finds happened last April,” Plissner recalled. “A contractor found a bottle with a note inside. It was from a fisherman in Washington State who had been putting messages in bottles for years while fishing for spot prawns. This message had been placed in 2022, and it had contact information.” The fisherman had written in his message, which included an address: “FAIR WINDS TO WHOEVER FINDS THIS BOTTLE.” After reaching out to him, Plissner and his team were able to connect with the fisherman, who was thrilled to hear that his bottle had traveled so far. “He shared stories of other bottles he had sent out, and we continued our correspondence via email,” Plissner said. “It’s amazing how these little connections can happen from something as simple as a bottle in the ocean.” Plissner's work at Midway goes beyond the discovery of messages, though. “While finding bottles can be fun and fascinating, the reality is that Midway is part of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, so we deal with a lot of plastic and fishing net debris. These materials pose serious threats to wildlife, especially seabirds, Hawaiian monk seals and sea turtles,” Plissner explained. “We often find dead birds with plastic in their stomachs or entangled in fishing line. The impact of all this debris is profound.” Despite the challenges of dealing with ocean trash, Plissner remains hopeful. A message in a bottle discovered by Jonathan Plissner's team in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii. (Photo/Jonathan Plissner)The message found in the bottle in Korean discovered by Jonathan Plissner's team in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii. (Photo/Jonathan Plissner)The message found in the bottle translated into English discovered by Jonathan Plissner's team in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii. (Photo/Jonathan Plissner)Jonathan Plissner (left) and Koh (right) pose with a message in a bottle he discovered in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii. (Photo/Jonathan Plissner)Rachan poses with a message in a bottle he discovered in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii. (Photo/Jonathan Plissner) “We’re making a difference with our cleanup efforts, and the connections we make with people through these messages remind us of the global nature of conservation work,” he said. Dan Link: A personal connection to a lost memory Dan Link, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, works with the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument to preserve some of the most remote and ecologically important islands in the world. His work often takes him to islands like Laysan, where he and his team monitor and work to eradicate invasive species. But during a short trip to the island in October 2024, Link made a surprising discovery: another message in a bottle. “I was conducting a quick survey of the island when I found an old wine bottle washed up on the shore. It wasn’t unusual to find bottles on the beach, but this one had a card inside. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was something special,” Link said. The card inside the bottle was a funeral memorial card, a memento for a man named Maurice Ferrand, who had passed away in 2011. The card contained a beautiful French quote and a small tribute to Maurice’s life. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw the card. It looked almost intact despite being in the ocean for years,” Link continued. “I always try to track down the families of people who send out these bottles, so I posted a photo of the card online and asked for help.” Link's vast network of Naked and Afraid fans was employed to find out who the person was and who their family is. Within a day, Dan's legion of fans located an email for Ferrand's daughter. So, Link contacted her. “I was able to tell her the story of how her father’s bottle made its way to the island, and she was overjoyed,” Link said. “It turns out that in 2016, after Maurice’s death, his daughter had thrown the bottle into the ocean as a way to honor him. And it made it all the way to Laysan by 2024.” Link’s discovery added another layer to the complex relationship humans have with the ocean. A message found in a bottle discovered by Dan Link in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii. (Photo/Dan Link)Dan Link posing with a message found in a bottle he discovered in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii. (Photo/Dan Link) “It was a beautiful moment to connect with Maurice’s daughter, but at the same time, we can’t ignore the ongoing problem of marine debris,” Link said. “The bottle was a symbol of love and remembrance, but the ocean is also burdened with plastic, fishing nets and other harmful materials that we need to address.” The bigger picture: The ocean's message While the messages in bottles found by Staman, Plissner and Link are fascinating, they also offer a glimpse into the broader issue of marine debris. These scientists and conservationists work tirelessly to understand the impacts of pollution on ocean ecosystems from plastic entanglements to the harmful effects of debris on sea turtles, seabirds and marine mammals. “We’ve been doing a lot of cleanup work on these islands, but it’s a constant battle. It feels like the more we clean up, the more that comes ashore. The ocean is vast, but it’s also incredibly interconnected. What we do on land affects these remote places in ways we can’t always see.” -- Jonathan Plissner, Marine Biologist NOAA The discoveries of messages in bottles, while thrilling, serve as a reminder of the long journeys these items take across the ocean and the far-reaching impact of human activities. As marine biologists continue their important work, they remain hopeful that public awareness will drive change in how we treat the ocean in order to ensure that these islands remain as pristine as possible for generations to come. You can click here to learn more about the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Get news on the go with KHON 2GO, KHON's morning podcast, every morning at 8 “We need to continue the conversation about marine debris, and these messages help us do that,” concluded Plissner. “The ocean is both a messenger and a receiver, and it’s up to us to make sure the message we send is one of respect and care for the environment.”