The federal government has awarded more than $230,000 to a local nonprofit for its project to remove 112 metric tons of abandoned fishing gear and marine debris from the coastlines of Kauai, Maui, Lanai and Hawaii island.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gave the award to the Hawaii Wildlife Fund of Paia, Maui, which is dedicated to the conservation of Hawaii’s native wildlife through research, education and advocacy.

“This funding will help these local organizations continue to preserve and restore one of our state’s most impressive and renowned resources – our coastlines,” said U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz in a news release.

The three-year project is expected to result in about 300 weekly patrols for fishing nets and debris along the coastline, as well as 39 community-based coastal cleanups on the four different isles. The fishing net bundles collected will be shipped to Oahu for NOAA’s Nets-to-Energy program, which converts discarded fishing nets into electricity. Recyclable content will be sorted and taken to appropriate facilities.