The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to present the 2023 Accomplishments Report, outlining our continued efforts to address marine debris through our program pillars - prevention, removal, research, monitoring and detection, response, and coordination.
‘Tis the season of giving! Gift wrapping, shipping packages, and gifts themselves often result in large sums of waste that can end up in our oceans and Great Lakes. This holiday season, the NOAA Marine Debris Program has thought of everyone on your list for a debris-free gift exchange. We hope that these ideas spark creativity for the friends and family you’re shopping for this year! Many of these gift ideas can be personalized without creating marine debris and tailored to anyone special in your life. As you make your list, and check it twice, these Debris-Free Gift Guides will make your holidays greener!
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Marine Debris Program is pleased to release the “United States Marine Debris Emergency Response Guide” (Guide). Developed in collaboration with other federal agencies, the Guide aims to improve preparedness for responding to marine debris after hurricanes and other disasters in coastal areas of the United States, including the Great Lakes and territories.
November is National Native American Heritage Month
The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to collaborate with multiple tribal partners in efforts to remove marine debris from our waterways and empower the communities that work to reduce the impacts of marine debris on our shores. Through our grant programs, regional action plans, and community-building efforts, NOAA’s Marine Debris Program strives to bring together the many groups that tirelessly work to reduce the impacts of marine debris. In celebration of our rich ancestral heritage, this month we are highlighting some active projects that work with or are led by native communities. Learn more about each of the projects and the impacts of marine debris on native communities!
Derelict fishing gear is haunting our oceans and harming marine life! The term “ghost gear” refers to any abandoned or discarded fishing gear in the marine environment. In its afterlife ghost gear continues to fish. This ongoing threat includes derelict fishing nets, traps, and pots that continue to trap animals, entangle marine life, smother habitats, and act as a hazard to navigation.
Where does marine debris originate, and how does it make its way to the ocean? There are many possible avenues for land-based trash to become marine debris. In Southern California, San Diego State University (SDSU) is working to find the answers. This multi-departmental project at SDSU is quantifying marine debris in the highly urbanized San Diego River and working to better understand how it travels through our waterways.
New Report: Marine Debris on the shoreline of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary: An assessment of activities contributing to marine debris, categories and composition, spatial distribution and predictor variables.
