Alaska

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. 

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to collaborate with multiple tribal partners in efforts to remove marine debris from our waterways and support communities that work to reduce the impacts of marine debris on our shores. Through our grant programs, regional action plans, and community-building efforts, the NOAA Marine Debris Program strives to bring together the many groups that work tirelessly to protect our shorelines and ocean. On Native American Heritage Day, in celebration of our tribal partners’ rich ancestral heritage and commitment to stewardship, we are highlighting some active and recently completed projects that partner with or are led by native communities. Learn more about each of the projects, the impacts of marine debris on native communities, and native leadership in coastal restoration. 

The Aleut Community of Saint Paul Island Tribal Government has been actively tackling marine debris issues over the last two decades to protect the marine ecosystem around St. Paul Island. St. Paul Island is part of the Pribilof Islands, which are centrally situated in the eastern Bering Sea in Alaska. The waters surrounding the Pribilof Islands support globally significant populations of marine mammals and birds, and are also central to some of the most valuable commercial fisheries in the world. The St. Paul Island community comprises approximately 350-400 residents, all of whom are deeply connected to the marine ecosystem and act as critical environmental stewards for their home.

When people think of Alaska, many images may come to mind: jagged mountains, majestic glaciers, rugged shorelines, rich and diverse wildlife and habitats, and vast wilderness. Its position in the North Pacific makes it home to some of the most productive and critical fisheries in the United States, and the world. This same position, combined with its vast scale, ocean current, wind patterns, and the growing maritime transport and fishing activity in near and distant waters, also means huge amounts of marine debris arrive on Alaskan shorelines every year. Fortunately, there is an active, innovative, and dedicated community of individuals and organizations working on the issue across the state of Alaska, ranging from the islands off of Southeast Alaska north to the Chukchi Sea.

The Ocean Plastics Recovery Project, in partnership with the NOAA Marine Debris Program, will lead a team of scientists, students, artists, and plastics recycling and recovery experts on the first of several marine debris cleanup expeditions to Katmai National Park in Alaska. Collectively, the cleanups, planned for 2021-2022, will be the largest marine debris removal effort in Katmai to date and has the goal to remove over 25 tons of ocean plastics from the marine environment and improve approximately 500 acres of coastal habitat for the salmon, bears, and all wild inhabitants of the 4,000,000-acre park.

The name Alaska comes from the Aleut alaxsxaq meaning “the mainland,” or more specifically “the object towards which the action of the sea is directed.” Alaska’s position relative to ocean, wind, and current patterns combined with the significant and growing amounts of maritime transport and fishing activity in the surrounding waters, means that huge amounts of marine debris are directed onto Alaskan shores every year. Fortunately, there is an active, dedicated, and innovative community of individuals and organizations working on and responding to the issue of marine debris in the state.

For some, marine debris may simply be an unsightly inconvenience, but for many people around the world it is a critical problem that can affect all aspects of life. This is particularly true for indigenous communities, whose deep understanding of and reliance on the natural environment and ocean, for subsistence, cultural connection, recreation, and economic opportunities, makes them especially aware of the damaging effects of marine debris. Community regional expertise on the impacts of marine debris and nuanced relationships with the environment shape many NOAA Marine Debris Program-supported projects around the country.