NOAA Marine Debris Program e-Newsletter | July 2018

Header July 2018

Marine debris litters a remote beach in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (Photo: Susan White/USFWS)

In This Issue

Ins and Outs of Plastic Pollution

What Goes Up, Must Come Down!

2018 California Ocean Litter Strategy

Clean Beaches for All

Are You Ready for Hurricane Season?

Upcoming Cleanups

Quick Links

Marine Debris Website
Marine Debris Blog
MDMAP Toolbox
ADV InfoHub
Clearinghouse

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

July 5
Save Our Shores
Sunny Cove
Santa Cruz, CA

July 5
Roads End Improvement Association
Roads End Beach
Lincoln City, OR

July 5
City of Rockaway Beach
Rockaway Beach, OR

July 5
Surf Pines HOA
Sunset Beach
Warrenton, OR

July 5
Washington State University Extension
Double Bluff County Park
Freeland, WA


July 5
GrassRoots Garbage Gang
Peninsula Senior Center
Ocean Park, WA

July 5
CoastSavers
Ocean Shores, WA

July 5
Puget Soundkeeper
Northwest Outdoor Center
Seattle, WA

July 7
RWB Fort Drum
Black Pond Wildlife Management Area
Ellisburg, NY

July 7
Surfrider Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach, VA

July 8
Tybee Clean Beach
7th St Beach Entrance
Tybee Island, GA

July 8
GoSili
West End Beach
Traverse City, MI

July 8
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Pier 1
Brooklyn, New York, NY

July 11
Shedd Aquarium
12th St Beach
Chicago, IL

July 11
Blue Ocean Society
Jenness State Beach
Rye, NH

July 12
Save the Bay
Conimicut Point
Warwick, RI


July 14
I Love a Clean San Diego
Jess Martin Park
Julian, CA

July 14
Florida State Parks
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
Key Biscayne, FL

July 14
Riverside Park Conservancy
Riverside Park
Manhattan, New York, NY

July 14
Pennsylvania DCNR
Beach 1
Erie, PA

July 16
Alliance for the Great Lakes
Muskegon State Park
North Muskegon, MI

July 17
Surfrider Eastern Long Island
Sagg Main Beach
Sag Harbor, NY

July 17
Save the Bay
Fields Point
Providence, RI

July 18
Surfrider Kauai
Ahukini Beach
Lihue, Kauai, HI


July 20
Save Our Shores
Pajaro River
Watsonville, CA

July 20
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Pier 1
Brooklyn, New York, NY

July 21
Heal the Bay
Redondo Beach Pier
Redondo Beach, CA

July 21
Ocean Hour
Wayside Park
Pensacola, FL

July 21
Euclid Beach Adopt-a-Beach
Euclid Beach Park
Cleveland, OH

July 21
Metroparks Tacoma
Point Defiance Marina
Tacoma, WA

July 22
Hurley
Biscayne National Park
Honestead, FL

July 22
Sharkastics
Kukona Place
Wailuku, Maui, HI

July 24
808 Cleanups
Ka'iwi Scenic Shoreline
Honolulu, O'ahu, HI

July 26
Friends of South Shore Park
South Shore Park Beach
Milwaukee, WI

July 27
Shedd Aquarium
Jackson Park Beach
Chicago, IL

July 28
Hui O Ho’ohonua
Kapapapuhi Point Park
Ewa Beach, O'ahu, HI

July 28
Walton Beach Cleanups
Walton Beach
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

Ins and Outs of Plastic Pollution

Magee Marsh Debris
Plastic debris on the shoreline of Lake Erie (Photo: NOAA).


Unfortunately, our ocean faces many threats, one of which is marine debris. Although marine debris can include any man-made and solid object, plastic items are the most prevalent type of debris. The top ten most common items found during the 2016 International Coastal Cleanup, nine were plastic items.

Learn More


What Goes Up, Must Come Down!

Balloon Andy Sullivanhaskins / Hawaii Department of Lands and Natural Resources
A researcher holds up balloon debris and entangled baby albatross on Kure Atoll, part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (Photo: Andy Sullivanhaskins / Hawaii Department of Lands and Natural Resources).


The summer is a celebratory time when people gather for graduations, weddings, and to enjoy time at the beach. Balloons are often used during these special occasions as decorations and gifts, and are sometimes intentionally released into the air. Unfortunately, once they go up, they must also come down; balloons that are released into the air don’t just go away, they make their way back down, or rise until they pop and fall back to Earth where they can create a lot of problems.

Learn More


2018 California Ocean Litter Strategy

2018 California Strategy
Check out the California Ocean Litter Prevention Strategy!


The NOAA Marine Debris Program and California Ocean Protection Council are pleased to announce the 2018 California Ocean Litter Prevention Strategy: Addressing Marine Debris from Source to Sea. 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. 

Learn More


Clean Beaches for All

NWHI Derelict Fishing Net
The marine debris team removes a derelict fishing net from the shorelines of the Monument (Photo: NOAA).


Beaches are not only a great place to have fun in the sun, but provide important habitat. Although Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is located far from human populations, large amounts of marine debris and derelict fishing gear litter its beaches every year, impacting important habitat and wildlife. Through a multi-agency effort, hundreds of tons of debris have been removed from the Monument, creating a cleaner environment for the species that live there.

Learn More


Are You Ready for Hurricane Season?

SC SpringMaid Pier SC DHEC/MyCoast
Damage to Springmaid Pier, just outside Myrtle Beach, SC, due to Hurricane Matthew (Photo: Andy Stein, WeatherNation, Denver, CO).


Another hurricane season is upon us and with that, it’s time to think about how best to prepare for potential storms. Unfortunately, the wind, rains, and storm surge that can come with hurricanes can also result in a substantial influx of marine debris. Keep this point in mind when prepping your home for an upcoming storm.

Learn More