After an intensive evaluation process, the NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to announce the 11 recipients of our 2017 removal awards, totaling $1,238,358 of funding toward marine debris removal efforts. Although prevention is essential in stopping marine debris at its source, removing marine debris is unfortunately necessary to address all the debris that is already out there. The NOAA Marine Debris Program offers an annual nationwide competitive funding opportunity to support projects that focus on community-based marine debris removal. Check out this year's funded projects.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to announce our “Marine Debris Removal” federal funding opportunity. This opportunity provides funding to support projects that will create long-term, quantifiable ecological habitat improvements for NOAA trust resources through on-the-ground marine debris removal activities, with priority for those targeting derelict fishing gear and other medium- and large-scale debris. Priority will be given to projects that also foster awareness of the effects of marine debris to further the conservation of living marine resource habitats, and contribute to the understanding of marine debris composition, distribution, and impacts. Eligible applicants are encouraged to apply.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to announce our “Marine Debris Prevention” federal funding opportunity. This opportunity provides funding to support eligible organizations for activities to prevent the introduction of marine debris into the marine and coastal environment. Applicants requesting funding for projects to address a specific marine debris issue, and that will actively engage these groups in hands-on personal participation, are welcome to apply. Projects focused on efforts to prevent marine debris from entering the environment through targeted behavior change will be given priority.

We are proud to announce the release of the Marine Debris Monitoring Toolkit for Educators, created through a collaborative effort between the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) and the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. This Toolkit translates the MDP’s Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project, a robust citizen science initiative, for classroom use. 

The Marine Debris Monitoring Toolkit for Educators is available for free download on the NOAA Marine Debris Program website.

Interested in staying up to date on marine debris resources to incorporate into your classroom? Sign up for the NOAA Marine Debris Program’s new Educator Newsletter on our homepage.

It’s that time of year again—students and teachers are headed back to school. Whether you’ve been back in class for a few weeks or are just gearing up for the start of school, you’re likely feeling those end-of-summer blues. Thankfully, the NOAA Marine Debris Program has lots of resources for classroom use that can help make school days interactive and fun while encouraging students to be part of the solution to marine debris!

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to announce that our 2018 Marine Debris Calendar is available for download!

This year’s calendar features artwork from the 2017 “Keep the Sea Free of Debris” art contest winners. Our annual art contest aims to get kids thinking about how they can keep debris out of the ocean and the calendar serves as a daily reminder that we can all do our part to help! Keep your eye on our website for information on this year’s contest, which starts October 16^th.

By: Sarah Latshaw, Southeast Regional Coordinator for the NOAA Marine Debris Program

While we may not have flying monkeys and green-faced witches to contend with here in the Southeast, we do face possible hazards like hurricanes, tornados, and severe thunderstorms. With these threats, there also comes the potential for a different kind of trouble--large amounts of storm-generated marine debris. In fact, almost a year after hurricane Matthew, many states are still dealing with the remnant debris stirred up by those storms, much of it in the form of abandoned and derelict vessels.

Meet Sarah Latshaw, the Southeast Regional Coordinator for the NOAA Marine Debris Program, based in beautiful Charleston, SC. Reach out to Sarah at sarah.latshaw@noaa.gov!

The Southeast United States is a great place to enjoy some unique outdoor areas. The NOAA Marine Debris Program’s Southeast region spans the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, to which many people travel to experience the beautiful sand beaches and marshlands. Unfortunately, this area is also visited by marine debris. Thankfully, there are several efforts underway to keep our Southeast region clean and address the marine debris that plagues this area. Check out some of the projects that are working to remove and prevent debris in the Southeast.