removal

Indigenous communities have a deep understanding of and relationship with the natural environment, which has fostered expert and nuanced traditional ecological knowledge, and shaped cultural practices and identity. NOAA recognizes the importance of indigenous peoples' traditional knowledge for understanding the environment, adapting to environmental change, and improving the health of environments that we all depend on. The Marine Debris Program (MDP) is proud to work with indigenous communities in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest to understand and reduce the impacts of marine debris through projects that prevent and remove marine debris. 

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to announce our Fiscal Year 2021 North America Marine Debris Prevention and Removal notice of funding opportunity (NOFO). Funding for this NOFO was provided through the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Implementation Act. The USMCA recognizes the importance of taking action to prevent and reduce marine marine debris, including plastic litter and microplastics, in order to preserve human health and marine and coastal ecosystems, prevent the loss of biodiversity, and mitigate the costs and impacts of marine debris. 

Wild salmon still thrive in Southeast Alaska. Every year, they return to clean free flowing rivers to spawn, and in doing so, they support the bears, eagles, and the commercial and subsistence fishers of the region. As they grow into juveniles these baby salmon fry drop from their natal streams into brackish estuaries that act as nurseries for them to grow in. But what’s a salmon to do if their estuary is clogged with abandoned trucks, sinking boats, and logging refuse? 

It’s almost that time of year—time for the 35th annual International Coastal Cleanup! The Ocean Conservancy brings people together around the globe for this event to clean up marine debris in their local communities, and the NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to have supported the International Coastal Cleanup for 14 years. Things may be different this year, but we can still make an impact on our community and our ocean when we work apart and together to clean up and protect our ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes.

Following a highly competitive review process, the NOAA Marine Debris Program is pleased to announce the 23 recipients of our 2020 Removal and Prevention Grant awards totaling approximately $2.7 million in federal funds. Federal funding is matched by non-federal contributions, bringing the total investment of these marine debris projects to approximately $5.9 million. 

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to announce our FY 2021 Marine Debris Removal notice of funding opportunity. Projects awarded through the removal grant competition will create long-term, quantifiable ecological habitat improvements for NOAA trust resources, with priority consideration for efforts targeting derelict fishing gear, abandoned and derelict vessels, and other medium- and large-scale debris.

Marine debris can be dangerous for wildlife, damage sensitive habitats, and create safety and navigation hazards. But did you know that marine debris can also hurt the economies of coastal communities and decrease commercial fishing revenue? Marine debris can keep tourists away from beaches, compete with active fishing gear and reduce commercial catches, and cost small businesses money.

Imagine that you are watching a small paper boat float on a lake and suddenly a breeze pushes the boat all the way across to the other side. You can no longer see it and the boat is too far away to pick up and you consider it lost. Now imagine that the paper boat is a large commercial fishing net, and instead of a lake, it’s traveling on currents in the ocean. It too has moved away from its original location, moved out into the open ocean, and is considered lost or derelict. Marine debris of all sizes can move around the ocean, being pushed around by wind and currents, and traveling to far off locations, such as the Hawaiian Islands.

Sea turtles are well adapted to life in the ocean and live in tropical and subtropical ocean waters around the world. Major threats to sea turtles in the United States include damage to their habitats, accidental capture during fishing, and getting tangled in or ingesting marine debris. The NOAA Marine Debris Program collaborates with partners to protect sea turtles by removing marine debris from shorelines.

People all over the world are concerned about marine debris and they would like to know more about it. The NOAA Marine Debris Program’s Communications Team responds to those questions we receive through email, and we’ve seen a trend. Following the National Ocean Services theme of Ocean Trivia for this week, we have created our own marine debris “trivia questions” that we hope you enjoy!