report

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to present our 2020 Accomplishments Report. Once a year, we like to take a moment to reflect on our Program’s mission to investigate and prevent the adverse impacts of marine debris, and to recognize the achievements made by our team and our partners. This year presented a set of unique challenges, but despite these disruptions, we adapted to our ever-changing circumstances and accomplished a great deal. 

Once a year, we like to take a moment to reflect on our Program’s mission to investigate and prevent the adverse impacts of marine debris, and to celebrate the progress that has been made with national and international partners. This past year we’ve supported and elevated marine debris efforts through coordination on local, national, and international levels.

The 2019 Southeast Marine Debris Action Plan is a compilation of recommended objectives, strategies, and actions to address marine debris in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. It is a collaborative effort between the federal, state, and local governments, non-governmental organizations, academia, and industry, and aims to coordinate and galvanize new action to address everyday marine debris and debris generated by disasters throughout the Southeast.

It’s Hurricane Preparedness Week! As we start preparing for hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Marine Debris Program is pleased to release the “Maryland Marine Debris Emergency Response Guide: Comprehensive Guidance Document” (Maryland Guide). The Maryland Guide is a product of a collaborative process with local, state, and federal agencies. The Guide aims to improve preparedness for response and recovery operations following an acute waterway debris incident in coastal Maryland.

By: Sherry Lippiatt, California Regional Coordinator for the NOAA Marine Debris Program

The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) and California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) are pleased to announce the 2018 California Ocean Litter Prevention Strategy: Addressing Marine Debris from Source to Sea (Strategy). The Strategy identifies a broad range of actions aimed at preventing and reducing marine debris in California, and is the result of a wide range of input from government partners, non-governmental organizations, industry, and academics working to address the issue. The document provides a roadmap for action over the next six years, and is intended to increase collaboration and galvanize support for marine debris projects.

Once a year, we like to take a moment to reflect on our efforts to investigate and prevent the adverse impacts of marine debris and to think about how far we’ve come. This past year has certainly been a busy one as we’ve moved forward under the guidance of our strategic plan and five program pillars—prevention, removal, research, emergency response, and regional coordination. With the help of many partners, we have been able to accomplish a great deal. The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to present our 2017 Accomplishments Report, which highlights some of our major accomplishments over the past year.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to announce the release of the new Marine Debris Emergency Response document for Georgia! This guide takes existing roles and authorities, as they relate to response to an incident that generates large amounts of debris in coastal waterways, and presents them in one guidance document for easy reference. By collaborating with local, state, and federal entities active in the region, this guide aims to facilitate a more timely and effective response to waterway debris incidents in Georgia.

By: Nir Barnea, Pacific Northwest Regional Coordinator for the NOAA Marine Debris Program

Over the years, Oregon’s agencies, NGOs, and industry have done remarkable work to prevent and remove marine debris along the Oregon coast, rivers, and nearshore areas. In order to address marine debris in Oregon even more effectively, Oregon marine debris stakeholders got together to create the Oregon Marine Debris Action Plan, and within a year, completed it.

The Oregon Marine Debris Action Plan, a collaborative effort of federal and state agencies, tribes, local governments, non-governmental organizations, academia, and industry, is a compilation of recommended strategies and actions to prevent, research, and remove marine debris in Oregon. Bringing together the Oregon entities working on marine debris, the Plan will increase coordination and collaboration in executing on-going and future actions, and help track progress over time.

Working closely with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Coastal Management Program and numerous other Florida marine debris stakeholders, the NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to have been involved in the recent creation of the Florida Marine Debris Reduction Guidance Plan. This Plan, which is a compilation of recommended strategies and actions toward reducing the impacts and amount of marine debris in Florida, is the result of multiple years of collaboration between stakeholders including federal and state agencies, local governments, non-governmental organizations, universities, and industry. Moving into the future, the Plan will act as a guide to measure progress toward addressing the marine debris problem in Florida.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) is proud to announce the release of our new report detailing the potential of marine debris to act as a pathway for the introduction of invasive species.

There is mounting concern over the increase in debris in our ocean and the potential for that debris to assist in the spread of non-native species. While the pathways associated with global shipping draw the greatest amount of attention regarding marine invasives, the purpose of this paper is to consider the potential role that marine debris may play in introducing non-native species that may become invasive. This report reviews the scientific literature that exists on the subject and identifies areas where more research is needed.