Communities throughout the Gulf Coast are coming together to clean up their local waters. With support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, the Gulf of America Alliance (“the Alliance”) is working in coordination with state and local partners on a large-scale, multi-state initiative to remove derelict vessels and restore coastal health and safety. Over the course of four years, vessels are being removed across the Gulf Coast, with recent removals taking place in Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama. 

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to announce that our 2026 Marine Debris Calendar is now available for download! Our art contest aims to get students thinking about how marine debris impacts our ocean and Great Lakes, and what they can do to help. This year’s calendar features artwork from 13 students in first through eighth grade from seven states and three U.S. territories. All are winners of the “Keep the Sea Free of Debris” art contest. 

We are pleased to announce the winners of the NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest! We received many colorful, creative, and informative entries from around the country, and although we wish we could showcase them all, we are excited to share the winners of this year’s contest with you. The winning artwork will be featured in a 2026 calendar, which will help to remind us every day of the importance of being responsible stewards of the ocean. Thank you to all the students and schools that participated in this year’s contest! 

Following a highly competitive review process, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program is pleased to announce 13 projects awarded for funding under our NOAA Marine Debris Removal and Interception Technologies grant awards for fiscal year 2025. These projects represent an investment of over $26.4 million for marine debris removal focused on two priority areas. The first funding opportunity focused on the removal of large marine debris, such as abandoned and derelict vessels and derelict fishing gear. The second funding opportunity focused on marine debris removal through the deployment and management of proven debris interception technologies.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is pleased to share the Alaska Marine Debris Action Plan (Action Plan). This document is the result of a collaborative effort between the NOAA Marine Debris Program and partners across Alaska, including federal, state, and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, industry, academia, and Alaska Native Communities. It represents a partner-led effort to guide marine debris efforts across the state.

Due to Alaska's extreme weather conditions and remote locations, working in the field during the winter in most places is nearly impossible. That means that field activities must happen in a defined “field season,” sometime between April and October for most of the state. Even during the summer season, completing field activities is complex and requires lots of preparation. It’s essential to “gear up” and ensure everything is prepped and planned so that no time is wasted during the short season.

Commercial crabbers from Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia are collaborating with scientists from Stockton University in New Jersey and the William and Mary’s Batten School and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to reduce derelict fishing gear and support the Mid-Atlantic’s productive blue crab fishery.  With support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, these two projects help sustain crabbers by providing employment opportunities during the fishing off-season. Crabbers help develop solutions to minimize trap loss, identify and remove lost pots in the water, salvage usable pots, and return costly gear to the commercial crabbing community. The winter crab trap recovery season recently came to a close, and both projects achieved significant milestones. 

Following a competitive review process, the NOAA Marine Debris Program and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation are pleased to announce the five recipients of the 2024 Hurricane Response Marine Debris Removal Fund. The awards will go to Alaska, Florida, and Puerto Rico to address impacts from the 2022 hurricane and typhoon seasons, totaling over $6 million in federal funds. Federal funding is supplemented by voluntary grantee matching contributions, bringing the total investment of these marine debris projects to approximately $6.1 million.