Follow the life cycle of a lost lobster trap, from working gear to marine debris, through recovery, recycling, repurposing, and proper disposal. Learn how collaboration among nonprofit organizations, commercial fishers, state agencies, volunteers, and coastal communities is helping reduce the impacts of marine debris while contributing to a cleaner Gulf of Maine. With support from a 2023 award from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, the Center for Coastal Studies and partners removed over 2,000,000 pounds of marine debris across the Gulf of Maine, processed and recycled nearly 30,000 lost or retired lobster traps, and worked alongside more than 100 commercial fishers to recover lost and end-of-life fishing gear over three years.

Are you a student or teacher who’s passionate about marine debris? Then get your art supplies ready, because this year’s NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest is officially open! Students in grades K-8 from the United States and U.S. territories can submit their artwork now through December 11 that answers the questions: How does marine debris impact the ocean and Great Lakes? What are you doing to help prevent marine debris? Enter today and you could see your artwork featured in our 2028 Marine Debris Calendar! So get crafty, get creative, and help us raise awareness about marine debris. 

Some marine debris can be picked up by hand. Some requires cranes, divers, flotation devices, or even helicopters to remove. As the NOAA Marine Debris Program marks its 20th anniversary, we are looking at how our work has evolved to address large-scale marine debris across the country. From lost fishing gear tangled on the seafloor to abandoned vessels and decades-old coastal structures, these projects are anything but straightforward. There are multiple strategies and techniques that our partners use to remove even the most persnickety debris from our marine environment. Investments in these projects support the removal of millions of pounds of marine debris, help communities recover from disasters, improve navigational safety, create jobs, and restore important habitat.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is pleased to announce that the 2027 Marine Debris Calendar is now available for download! This year, the NOAA Marine Debris Program is celebrating 20 years of cleaning our coasts. That’s why the 2027 Marine Debris Calendar features winning artwork across the last 16 years of the “Keep the Sea Free of Debris!” Art Contest. The 13 entries featured in this calendar are a selection of winning entries from the 2011-2026 calendars, created by students around the United States and territories in grades kindergarten to eighth grade.

When thinking of the marine debris issue, small items usually come to mind, such as plastic bottles, food packaging, and other commonly littered items. However, everyday trash is only one part of the problem. Severe incidents can turn everyday items into hazards. Understanding these realities, the NOAA Marine Debris Program works with communities to prepare for natural and human-made disasters, coordinates with response agencies during events, and supports disaster debris removal.

Sprawling rivers, winding lakes, and vast miles of ocean and shoreline. Marine environments connect us all from remote communities to the most populous regions. Recognizing that need, the NOAA Marine Debris Program works within communities to build relationships and engage with regional experts. Over the last two decades, this has resulted in the creation of 16 marine debris action plans—collaborative road maps for stakeholders across a state or region to address marine debris.

How much marine debris is along our nation’s shorelines, and how is it changing over time? From Alaska to the Caribbean, scientists are surveying hundreds of shorelines to better understand marine debris across the United States and its territories. In 2024, the NOAA Marine Debris Program launched the NOAA Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project Nationwide Survey, a shoreline survey effort spanning 620 sites in 10 pre-defined regions incorporating every U.S. coastal state and inhabited territory. The results will provide information to help communities identify debris hotspots, target cleanup and prevention efforts, and track changes in the amounts, types, and distribution of marine debris. With the first year of field surveys well underway and a second year planned, here is an update on what’s happening and how you can follow along.

We are pleased to announce with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) that a request for proposals is now open through October 21, 2026, as part of the Hurricane Response Marine Debris Removal Fund. The 2023 and 2024 hurricane and typhoon seasons inflicted severe damage to communities and coastal resources across several states and territories. Hurricanes Idalia, Helen, and Milton, and Typhoon Mawar severely impacted communities and coastal resources in Florida, Georgia, Guam, North Carolina, and South Carolina, including large aggregations of debris and many displaced vessels. This debris poses hazards to navigation, coastal communities, commercial fishing grounds, and sensitive ecosystems.