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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is soliciting nominations to serve on the Board of Directors of the new Marine Debris Foundation. NOAA seeks nominees representing a variety of backgrounds, areas of expertise, and experiences, and who will contribute to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive Board that supports activities related to marine debris. Nomination packages are due by 11:59 p.m. EDT on June 30, 2021.
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Single-use beverage bottles near Neabsco Creek, Virginia (Photo: Cynthia Smith, George Mason University).
The NOAA Marine Debris Program is pleased to share the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Marine Debris Action Plan. This document is the result of a collaborative effort between the Marine Debris Program and local, state, and federal governments, nonprofits, industry, and academic institutions, and represents a partner-led effort to guide marine debris actions in the Mid-Atlantic for the next five years.
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Abandoned boats dot a degraded habitat in Jamaica Bay (Photo: New York City Parks and Recreation).
The Mid-Atlantic region is home to diverse industries, large urban cities, and beaches popular for tourism. Our partners are working hard to keep the coast clean to conserve all that we love about the Mid-Atlantic. Seven prevention and removal projects supported by the NOAA Marine Debris Program are currently underway in the Mid-Atlantic, spanning issues from single-use plastics and consumer debris, to abandoned and derelict fishing gear and vessels.
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The Garmin LiveScope (left) and Humminbird Solix (right) on the survey vessel, the R/V Dogfish (Photo: University of Delaware).
Up to 20,000 pots from Delaware’s recreational blue crab fishery may sit on the murky bottom of Delaware’s Inland Bays, getting swept around by the currents and mired in the mud. There, they await rescue – inadvertently scraping across the bottom, getting in the way of boats, and continuing to ghost fish by trapping crabs, fish, and other wildlife. A new project, led by the University of Delaware and Delaware Sea Grant, is using side-scan and live sonar to identify and recover derelict crab pots lost and abandoned in Delaware’s Indian River Bay.
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Plastic shotgun wad debris on Baker Beach, San Francisco, California (Photo: NOAA).
Consistent shoreline monitoring and data gathering efforts are essential to understanding local marine debris issues, how they change over time, and what types of debris are most common. Between 2012 and 2018, monthly marine debris monitoring surveys were conducted at six Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary beaches, located on the North-Central California Coast near San Francisco, and identified shotgun wads as one of the four most commonly found plastic items across all surveyed sites. A project to reduce plastic shotgun wad debris from entering San Francisco Bay and depositing onto coastal beaches was carried out and is documented in the report, “A Behavior Change Campaign to Reduce Plastic Shotgun Wad Debris on the North-Central California Coast.”
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A SCUBA diver entering the water to retrieve derelict crab pots in the Puget Sound as part of the efforts to remove and catalog them (Photo: Motofish Images).
The coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest are known for their combination of remote beauty and rich marine life, providing the foundation for multiple industries. This unique area spans over 4,400 miles of coastline and falls within the Cascadia bioregion. Despite all this natural beauty, lurking below the waves and along the rocky and sandy shores of Oregon and Washington a common issue can be found: marine debris. Thankfully, our partners in the Pacific Northwest are working hard every day to address marine debris through prevention, research, removal, and collaboration.
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Two sunken vessels in North Portland Harbor, Oregon (Photo: Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office River Patrol Unit).
Abandoned and derelict vessels are a common story and the all-too-common ending is that marinas end up burdened with the responsibility for them. The longer they sit, the more they deteriorate, taking up valuable space and becoming a safety hazard. Despite the best of intentions, many boats can end up as abandoned and derelict vessels in our coastal, estuarine, and river environments. With the help of a NOAA Marine Debris Program removal grant and partnerships with marinas in the Certified Clean Marina Program, the Oregon State Marine Board hopes to interrupt this common narrative.
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The artificial tire reef in Guam's Cocos Lagoon is made up of 2,482 tires and is estimated to weigh 16-28 tons (Photo: Guam Environmental Protection Agency).
The Pacific Ocean’s vast size and resources have brought those who call it home great abundance and a high level of resiliency. Today, these island communities rely on their resiliency to confront the issue of marine debris in an effort to protect the Pacific. Using community-based and creative approaches, dedicated organizations in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Hawai‘i are working to protect and restore marine habitats, prevent marine debris through product research and design, and mitigate the effects of derelict fishing gear on endangered and threatened species with the support of the NOAA Marine Debris Program.
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Hawaii Marine Animal Response marine debris diver removes fishing line from a coral head (Photo: Hawaii Marine Animal Response).
Located in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean, the Hawaiian Archipelago is surrounded by thousands of miles of vast blue ocean. Hawai‘i’s crystal clear waters and landscapes are home to over 9,000 endemic species, making it one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet. Hawai`i’s marine animals face increasing threats from human activities and Hawaii Marine Animal Response works daily with NOAA, the State of Hawaii, and other partners to conserve protected marine animals and reduce threats to their survival.
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Beach erosion on the Rincón Municipality, western Puerto Rico, was aggravated with the storm surge associated with Hurricane Maria, resulting in collapsed structures (Photo: NOAA).
Club Marina is a group of high school females interested in environmental science in Puerto Rico who are committed to protecting the environment. In an effort to educate and raise awareness about the dangers of marine debris, they’ve been hard at work creating videos about hurricanes and debris in Puerto Rico. In this series of Spanish videos, viewers have the opportunity to understand more about preventing marine debris, hurricane preparedness, and debris management.
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Sailing vessel “Running Free” was abandoned and washed ashore at the Rachel Carson Reserve three times before it was removed through a cleanup project (Photo: North Carolina Coastal Reserve).
The June webinar in our Salvaging Solutions to Abandoned and Derelict Vessels series is coming up! This month's webinar, Taking an Inventory of the Issue, will focus on efforts to inventory and track abandoned and derelict vessels. Join us at 3:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 23, 2021.
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