The coast, rivers, and lakes of the Pacific Northwest are beautiful and versatile, and yet, they all share a common feature: the presence of marine debris. From large debris to tiny microplastics, marine debris is present in bodies of water worldwide and requires a comprehensive approach to prevent it, research its attributes, and reduce its impacts.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is pleased to share the redeveloped Marine Debris Information Clearinghouse. The Marine Debris Information Clearinghouse, first launched in 2013, is designed to provide direct access to the marine debris community on projects completed or underway that can inform and improve their work.

Imagine you’ve planned a big trip to the beach with your family and friends, loaded up the car with supplies or jumped on a plane, and traveled to your vacation spot, only to find a beach littered with plastic beverage bottles, stray fishing line, chip bags, cigarette butts, and other debris. Would you stay and play, or be on your way? What if there were no debris, would you be more likely to return in the future? These are the kinds of questions we asked to better understand the relationship between marine debris and the coastal tourism economy.

Today, NOAA Marine Debris Program partner, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), announced ten grants totaling $1,157,788 that will support the removal and disposal of an estimated 330,000 pounds of derelict fishing gear.

The 2017 hurricane season was one of the most active with 17 named storms; 10 of those became major hurricanes. Three devastating hurricanes made landfall, one of which was Hurricane Irma.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) is pleased to share the biennial update to the 2017-2023 Oregon Marine Debris Action Plan (Action Plan). This document is the result of a collaborative effort between the MDP and regional partners, including representatives from governments, tribes, non-profits, academia, and the private sector. It includes partners’ shared goals, strategies to achieve those goals, and corresponding actions to reduce marine debris in Oregon.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to announce our FY 2020 “Marine Debris Prevention” federal funding opportunity.

The International Coastal Cleanup is just around the corner and we are grabbing our gloves, suiting up, and heading out to clean up our beaches, Great Lakes, and waterways. This annual event, hosted by the Ocean Conservancy and supported by the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP), works to bring people together from across the globe to clean up marine debris.