NOAA Marine Debris Program e-Newsletter | December 2019

Derelict crab trap located in the Florida Keys.

A derelict crab trap located in the Florida Keys (Photo: NOAA).

In This Issue

Special Funding Opportunity: Hurricane Response Marine Debris Removal Fund

 

Gulf of Maine Marine Debris Action Plan Released

Full STEAM Ahead! The Marine Debris Program has a Lesson Plan for That

Working Across the Gulf of Mexico to Address Marine Debris Issues

 

Guide to a Greener Holiday - Zero Waste Holiday Parties and Decorations

Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation’s Derelict Crab Trap Removal Program

Quick Links

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Marine Debris Tracker Mobile Application

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Make a difference by using the Marine Debris Tracker app to record debris items you find.

Upcoming Cleanups

California

Dec. 7

Pacific Beach Coalition

Corner of the North Beach parking lot

Pacifica, CA


Dec. 7

Save Our Shores

Scott Creek Beach

Davenport, CA


Dec. 14

Pacific Beach Coalition

Montara State Beach parking lot near La Costanera.

Montara, CA


Dec. 14

Save Our Shores

Laguna Creek Beach

Santa Cruz, CA


Dec. 14

Orange County Coastkeeper

Huntington State Beach: Tower Two

Huntington Beach, CA


Dec. 15

Surf Rider San Francisco

Ocean Beach Stairwell 17

San Francisco, CA


Dec. 21

Pacific Beach Coalition

4000 Cabrillo Hwy, Half Moon Bay, CA

Half Moon Bay, CA


Dec. 29

Surf Rider San Francisco

Baker Beach

San Francisco, CA


Pacific Islands

 

Dec. 4

808 Cleanups

Kaʻena State Park Keawaʻula Beach

O’ahu, HI


Dec. 8

808 Cleanups

Kahala Lookout

Honolulu, HI


Dec. 14

808 Cleanups

Mokulēʻia Army Beach

Mokuleia, HI


Dec. 21

Surfrider Foundation Kauai

Maha'ulepu Beach

Maha'ulepu Beach, HI


Dec. 29

808 Cleanups

Makai Research Pier

Waimanalo Beach, Hawaii


Florida and the Caribbean

Dec. 1

VolunteerCleanup.org

Rickenbacker Bridge

Miami, FL


Dec. 7

Ocean Hour

Naval Live Oaks

Gulf Breeze, FL


Dec. 7

VolunteerCleanup.org

Cocoa Beach by the Pier

Cocoa Beach, FL


Dec. 7

VolunteerCleanup.org

Upper Bridge Shadeville Road

Crawfordville, FL


Dec. 10

VolunteerCleanup.org

Virginia Beach Park

Miami, FL


Dec. 14

VolunteerCleanup.org

Fort Lauderdale Beach

Fort Lauderdale, FL


Mid-Atlantic

 

Dec. 1

NYC Parks

LaTourette Park & Golf Course

Staten Island, NY


Dec. 21

Surfrider Foundation Virginia Beach

Sandbridge Pier

Virginia Beach, VA


Northeast

Dec. 7

Clean Ocean Access

Hull Cove Beach

Jamestown, RI


Dec. 14

Blue Ocean Society

Jenness State Beach

Rye, NH


Dec. 14

Clean Ocean Access

Gulf Cove Beach

Portsmouth, NH


Pacific Northwest

 

Dec. 21

SOLVE

115 NW 22nd Ave. 

Portland, OR


Can't make it to a listed cleanup? Organize your own and use the Marine Debris Tracker!

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Website & Blog

Special Funding Opportunity: Hurricane Response Marine Debris Removal Fund

A half sunk boat is surrounded by floating wood debris generated from Hurricane Michael. The boat is located in Panama City Florida.

Debris caused by Hurricane Michael in Panama City, FL (Credit: NOAA).

The 2018 hurricane and typhoon seasons inflicted severe damage to communities and coastal resources across North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Hurricanes Florence and Michael, and Typhoon Yutu left a swath of destruction and large amounts of debris in the coastal zones of the affected states and territory. This debris poses hazards to navigation, commercial fishing grounds, and sensitive ecosystems.

Learn More


Gulf of Maine Marine Debris Action Plan Released

21 people stand along a wall and smile for a picture.

Partners participate in the Gulf of Maine Marine Debris Action Plan Workshop, Gloucester, MA. (Credit: NOAA).

The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) is pleased to share the Gulf of Maine Marine Debris Action Plan. This document is the result of a collaborative effort between the NOAA Marine Debris Program and partners in Canada, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, and represents a partner-led effort to guide marine debris actions in the Gulf of Maine for the next five years. 

Learn More


Full STEAM Ahead! The Marine Debris Program has a Lesson Plan for That

Three people work at a table to sift beans from rice with a spoon. The goal is to capture as many beans as possible without capturing microplastics.

The Marine Debris Program’s Northeast Regional Coordinator, Demi Fox, applies STEM techniques at the New England Aquarium's World Ocean Day (Photo: NOAA).

At the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP), we are often asked, “What can we do to help clean up the ocean?” Prevention is key to solving the marine debris problem over time. If you think about an overflowing sink, the first step before cleaning up the water is to turn off the tap. However, in order to prevent marine debris, we need to understand where it is coming from and that understanding starts with a solid marine debris educational foundation. 

Learn More


Working Across the Gulf of Mexico to Address Marine Debris Issues

Construction equipment removes debris from the Pearl River.

Heavy machinery removes debris from the Pearl River log jam (Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services).

Where the Fish and Magnolia Rivers meet the sea and create the estuary of Weeks Bay, sunken boats used to dot the estuary’s shoreline. The Weeks Bay Foundation and Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, supported by a NOAA Marine Debris Community-based Removal grant, removed those vessels this past year through the “Derelict is Dangerous” campaign.

Learn More


Guide to a Greener Holiday - Zero Waste Holiday Parties and Decorations

 Three glass jars contain white toy bears and are set on fake snow.

Small toys inside glass jars make homemade snow-globes (Credit: NOAA).

The Marine Debris Program has gathered up our favorite quick tips for making this holiday season a little greener. In a series of three blogs, our team will share their holiday hacks to help celebrate the season while also protecting the planet! First up: parties

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Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation’s Derelict Crab Trap Removal Program

A person holds a live blue crab over a pile of red crab traps.

Live blue crab and derelict crab traps, 2019 (Credit: Adam Songy, LPBF).

The commercial crab fishery in Louisiana is an important fishery that primarily targets adult blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus). Yielding an annual average landing (crabs brought to port) of 18,600,000 kg (41,000,000 pounds) from 2013 to 2017, the Louisiana blue crab fishery is frequently both the largest blue crab fishery and domestic blue crab supplier in the United States.

Learn More