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Dear colleagues,
The Washington Marine Debris Action Plan, finalized and posted in September 2018, was created by the Washington State marine debris community to facilitate collaboration and communication on marine debris work done in the state. To that end, this first bi-annual newsletter includes updates from twenty-one partners. Recent Washington State marine debris activities and additional information on broader marine debris topics are shared below.
A big thank you to everyone who provided updates. It is amazing to see the breadth and variety of marine debris reduction work being done in the state. The next update is scheduled for Fall 2019. Please feel free to provide feedback to improve these updates.
Thank you --- Nir Barnea
NOAA Marine Debris Program, Pacific Northwest Regional Coordinator
 Abbey McPherren, a nine-year old Million Waves Project prosthetic hand recipient, picks up debris at Hobuck Beach during the 2018 International Coastal Cleanup. (Photo: NOAA OCNMS)
Submitted by: James Roubal, Washington CoastSavers
On September 15, 2018, CoastSavers organized another incredibly successful cleanup effort for the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC). More than 500 volunteers participated in the 2018 ICC, collecting over 7,500 lbs. of debris from Cape Flattery to Cape Disappointment – the entire outer coast of Washington, with volunteers distributed along approximately half of the 157 miles of coastline and along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
A unique collaboration was developed for last year’s ICC. Million Waves Project, a nonprofit located in Anacortes, WA, reached out to CoastSavers during the summer to form a new partnership. The Million Waves Project takes reclaimed ocean plastics and turns them into 3-D printed prosthetic limbs. Million Waves had plastic shredding demonstrations and 3-D printed limbs available on display at Hobuck Beach at the Makah Reservation. A nine-year old Million Waves Project prosthetic hand recipient, Abbey McPherren (above) and her family, attended the cleanup.
 The WDFW enforcement vessel with some of the recovered traps. (Photo: WDFW)
Submitted by: Donald Velasquez and Don Rothaus, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
This 2018 Gear Sweep Summary represents the efforts of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Enforcement staff to remove traps when the crab and shrimp seasons were closed in 2018. All recovered traps had buoys visible on the surface of the water. Most owners of the traps believed they had been stolen. The results below represent work done in all regions of Puget Sound combined. The vast majority of the traps removed were crab traps, but some shrimp traps were also processed.
- Total # of individual gear sweeps = 59
- Total # of WDFW Officers participating = 29
- Total # of traps processed by 12/31/2018 = 1,633
- Total recreational traps recovered = 1,524. Of these, 963 were identified to individuals and 595 have been returned to its owner. WDFW staff educated those who picked up their traps on how to prevent future trap loss. 147 traps were stripped and scrapped, 74 saved for donation, and 147 remain in WDFW return inventory.
- 561 were either incompletely labeled, illegible, or unmarked (36.8%). Of these, 440 traps were stripped and scrapped and 121 saved for donation. 8,040 pounds of metal has been taken to scrap yard
- Tribal pots recovered = 100. These pots came from nine different Tribes. Of these, 80 have been returned to the appropriate Tribe.
- State commercial pots recovered = 9. These pots came from seven different fishers. One of these pots have been returned to the appropriate fisher.
So far this season we have reunited 676 crabbers with their lost gear (41.4%). In addition, 176 Canadian pots fishing illegally in U.S. waters were recovered on October 16, 2018.
 Keoni Kalama, Nisqually Dive School Instructor, leads classroom orientation for tribal Salmon Camp student's, Introduction to underwater diver equipment. (Photo: David Stepetin, Nisqually Tribe)
Submitted by: David Stepetin, Nisqually Indian Tribe
The Nisqually Tribe is engaged in youth education and action about waterways preservation and marine debris removal. Diving instructions have previously been provided to the Nisqually Environmental Teens Team (NETT). Now, with grant funds from the Russell Family Foundation (TRFF), the NETT has followed traditional and cultural values by using kayaks to continue seeking and reducing debris along the shoreline of the Nisqually river and wildlife refuge. A well-attended kayak safety orientation was conducted on February 23, 2019. It will be followed by a cleanup, using kayaks, on March 30, in partnership with the Nisqually Reach Nature Center. Additionally, a Salmon Camp for Tribal youth is planned for summer 2019.
Many thanks go to our partners: Northwest Indian College; The Evergreen State College Intern; Nisqually River Education Project; St Martin’s University; and Nisqually Tribal AmeriCorps.
 A screenshot from "The problem with plastic packaging and how EPR is a solution."
Submitted by: Sego Jackson, Seattle Public Utilities
The Northwest Product Stewardship Council and Zero Waste Washington collaborated to develop the most comprehensive proposal created to date that addresses plastic packaging pollution and recycling. HB 1204 was introduced in the House of the Washington State Legislature and requires producers of plastic packaging to participate in a “stewardship organization” that would finance and oversee all aspects of plastic packaging end-of-life management, including recycling. The program would be required to assess and provide funding for marine litter cleanups, reduction of plastic contamination and operational impacts in commercial compost, and recycling facilities. This House bill won’t move forward in 2019.
View this video, produced by Northwest Product Stewardship Council, outlining the need for EPR for plastic packaging.
A companion bill that is moving forward - SB 5397 - will set the stage for a future stewardship program and includes a detailed study that will conclude in October 2020, with the intent of legislation in the 2021 legislative session.
Additional WA Legislature bill information can be found here and here.
 Surfrider Chapters work with businesses to reduce plastic pollution through the Ocean Friendly Restaurant Program. (Photo: Ranell Nystrom)
Submitted by: Brice Boland, Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation has several action items listed in the state’s Marine Debris Action Plan (MDAP) that it hopes to accomplish following the plan’s release. Subjects like reducing firework debris, better coordination of beach cleanups, and shaping state policy to reduce single-use plastics are a few that stand out. What has been possibly the most recognized outcome from Surfrider’s MDAP action items so far is the significant increase in the number of Surfrider Ocean Friendly Restaurants (OFR), which now number approximately 40. Surfrider chapters are using a proactive model to work with businesses to help them ditch plastic straws, polystyrene takeout containers, and plastic single-use utensils in their businesses to reduce waste and increase efficiency. By registering as a Surfrider OFR, businesses are required to meet guidelines focused around reducing single-use plastics that no longer end up in our landfills, on our beaches, and in our marine waters.
 Map of removal sites and amounts. (Photo: Kristian Tollefson, DNR)
Submitted by: Chris Robertson, Washington Department of Natural Resources
In April 2017, the Washington Department of Natural Resources Marine Debris Removal Program received (one time) funding from the National Estuaries Program to remove 225 tons of diffuse creosote from Puget Sound shorelines. Over the 19-month grant period, we employed 33 weeks of Washington Conservation Corps Crew time at 166 sites throughout the Puget Sound resulting in 303 tons of creosote/marine debris removed.
 Lex Savanh and Abby Bratt search the wrackline on Second Beach for "small marine debris" a nurdle up to a bottle cap. (Photo: H. Burgess)
Submitted by: Hillary Burgess, University of Washington
The Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) has been busy during the past six months. We hosted trainings and refreshers for citizen science participants in Port Angeles, Freeland, Seattle, Friday Harbor, Birch Bay, Poulsbo, and Tacoma. 112 COASSTers collected monthly data about the abundance, sources, and impacts of marine debris on 52 beaches in Washington. We started analyzing data and reported early patterns comparing seasonal patterns of debris between Puget Sound and Northern Oregon. In partnership with the NOAA Marine Debris Program, we started a special project about turnover rates and survey methods to inform ongoing monitoring efforts. In early 2019, we'll be at trainings and talks in Hansville, Anacortes, Port Angeles, and Padilla Bay; we hope to see you there!
Submitted by: Nancy Messmer and Roy Morris, Lions Club International
The Lions Clubs International has been hard at work on a number of actions listed in the WA MDAP. Lions Clubs volunteers are conducting tours of marine debris displays and presentations to Lions Clubs Conferences and other organizational programs like Friends of Hoko River State Park, COASST, and school projects. Likewise, Lions Club volunteers post on Facebook pages and newsletters (Lions Environmental Chairs, Lions of MD 19, Friends of Hoko River State Park, and CoastSavers) and contribute photos to news media. Lions Club volunteers are engaged with CoastSavers cleanups, and assist with cleanup signage, flyers, and newspaper articles to promote awareness and engagement in ongoing and emerging scheduled events. Lions Clubs is assisting with collecting materials for prosthesis construction and other options of plastic recycling. On a more global scope, the Lions Clubs volunteers are maintaining connectivity with global partners through Lions Clubs International and other contacts made at the Sixth International Marine Debris Conference.
 Derelict net removed from Henderson Bay in October 2018. (Photo: NWSF)
Submitted by: Jason Morgan, Northwest Strait Foundation
The Northwest Straits Foundation’s (NWSF) newly lost net Reporting, Response, and Retrieval Program investigates reports of and removes lost commercial fishing nets in Washington’s Salish Sea. Since October 2018, the NWSF has removed seven derelict fishing nets restoring 0.96 acres of marine habitat. Over 2,400 marine organisms were found entangled in the nets including three unidentified seabirds, 56 red rock crab, and over 2,300 other invertebrates representing 25 different species.
The NWSF was awarded a grant in November 2018 from the NOAA Marine Debris Program for a three-year derelict crab pot removal and outreach project. This project will include three years of derelict crab pot removals in Port Townsend and Dungeness Bays, and an outreach campaign targeting crabbers using these areas. Goals include eliminating the immediate threat of derelict crab pots through removals and identifying effective outreach methods by evaluating user feedback and changes in crab pot loss over time.
 Jessica Kelsey holds up a Puyallup River water sample in foreground, while Mary Eldridge collects river water in the background. (Photo: S. Black)
Submitted by: Julie Masura, University of Washington
A collective of students from the University of Washington Tacoma, led by Shannon Black, Mary Eldridge, and Jessica Kelsey, looked at microplastic presence and distribution in the Puyallup River Watershed and the river’s role in microplastic transport. Samples were collected monthly, both upstream and downstream of municipal wastewater treatment plants, from five cities in the lower reaches of the Puyallup River Watershed. Fibers, fragments, and foams were identified, characterized, and quantified. Results were statistically inconclusive to determine if wastewater treatment plants were a point source of plastic pollution to the Puyallup River Watershed, although more fiber numbers were located upstream than downstream at most sites. This work was presented by students at the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference in March 2018. Shannon Black won the 2018 Zirzow Student Award (Environmental Science Student of the Year) from the National Association for Environmental Professionals for her contribution to the project.
 Divers work to float a vessel out of the mud. (Photo: Kathleen Pozarycki)
Submitted by: Franchesca Perez, Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians
In 2018, five derelict vessels were removed from the Snohomish Estuary and Snohomish County Nearshore (plus an additional two in January 2019). Over 16 tons of marine debris was recycled or disposed of as part of this project. Removing these vessels helps to improve water quality by removing toxic materials from the aquatic environment, and improving habitat by eliminating physical barriers to substrate. Each derelict boat was recycled or destroyed following a process to identify and work with the last known owners in accordance with the Washington Administrative Code. Funding was provided by the Snohomish-Stillaguamish Local Integrating Organization, Washington Department of Natural Resources, and Snohomish County Surface Water Management.
Submitted by: Morgan McShea, Puget Soundkeeper
On September 15th, 2018, 1,761 volunteers came together at various sites around Puget Sound with a common goal: to clean up trash. Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup not only effectively removes tons of trash from the world’s waterways, it also helps volunteers and organizations alike pinpoint the most prominent types of trash found locally. This is accomplished through the counting and cataloguing of each and every piece of trash collected. Unsurprisingly, plastic prevailed as the most common “type” of trash collected by volunteers. Specifically, of the 6,673 pounds of debris collected, 31,319 pieces were single-use plastic, including 16,780 cigarette butts (which contain a plastic-like filter)!
Puget Soundkeeper Alliance is grateful to have so many partners that make this cleanup effort as widespread and impactful as it has been! We are hopeful that the numbers collected from these cleanups encourage volunteers to consider their own consumption of single-use plastics and help keep plastic out of our waterways!
 Water sample collection at Browns Point. (Photo: Erica Jackson)
Submitted by: Morgan McShea, Puget Soundkeeper
Plastic items like cigarette filters, beverage bottles, and food wrappers are found at every beach cleanup locally and globally. It is crucial to remove these items before they break up into “microplastics”, fragments of plastic smaller than a pea that threaten the health of our waterways and the life that inhabits them. As plastic continues to break up into smaller pieces, we are unable to detect them with the naked eye.
Puget Soundkeeper Alliance asked volunteers to help us collect water samples from the Puget Sound so that we can analyze their microplastic content. Soundkeeper has been fortunate to have had overwhelming interest from volunteers who have collected over 80 water samples from all over the Puget Sound. We are currently working to analyze these samples and will be excited to share our findings soon!
 Straws and stirrers collected at a cleanup event in Burien Washington. (Photo: Heather Trim, Zero Waste Washington)
Submitted by: Heather Trim, Zero Waste Washington
Zero Waste Washington, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and numerous partners worked to refine and test EPA’s litter assessment protocol called Escaped Trash Assessment Protocol (ETAP). We developed a Quality Assurance Plan and additional materials to launch the protocol. We held two training webinars to help partners understand how to use the protocol. During the webinars, we gathered feedback based on people’s experiences and what could make the use of the protocol most convenient for everyone. The litter assessment includes the following four steps:
- Site Selection and Boundary Determination
- Site Characterization and Cleanup
- Data Entry and Analysis
- Adaptive Management
Partners used the protocol during various cleanup events around the state, leading to refinements. The protocol worked to create high quality data, but we determined that it was too time consuming. In the fall, an online data collection tool prototype was developed. Messaging that was site specific was developed in some locations, based on the data results.
In 2019, in addition to continuing to use the protocol at cleanups, we will work to refine the protocol to make it easier to use, develop a method to use the data to determine impairments, and improve the online collection tool.
 Senator Mona Das, sponsor of the bag bill, along with the bagmonster and Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, chair of the House Environment and Energy Committee, at Environmental Lobby Day, January 29, 2019. (Photo: Heather Trim, Zero Waste Washington)
Submitted by: Heather Trim, Zero Waste Washington
In the past year, we have worked with a number of other partners and community members to implement local ordinances to ban bags (there are currently 28 ordinances) and address single-use plastic food service containers and utensils (there are currently 8 ordinances).
At the state level, a number of bills were introduced and are still moving forward (as of March 5, 2019). We worked on the policy language, recruited partners, developed sign-on letters and provided education to legislators, in addition to lobbying, in order to advance these bills. The bills all are aimed at reducing the use of plastic items which contribute to plastic pollution:
Reusable Bag Bill (HB 1205/SSB 5323 - Relating to reducing pollution from plastic bags by establishing minimum state standards for the use of carryout bags at retail establishments): Bans thin plastic carryout bags at all retail establishments. A paper or thicker plastic bag option is available for a 10-cent pass through charge.
Plastic food service products (HB 1632 - Reducing pollution from single-use plastic food service ware): Requiring utensils, straws and condiment packages to be offered on demand.
Plastic straw ban (SB 5077 - Prohibiting single-use plastic straws): Requiring straws to be offered on demand.
 Removal of the sunken vessel Sanctuary from the Judd Cove Preserve, Orcas Island, Washington, June 2018. (Photo: Global Diving and Salvage)
Submitted by: Troy Wood, Washington Department of Natural Resources
Partnering with the Washington Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) restoration crew, the Derelict Vessel Removal Program (DVRP) published a new public reporting tool on MyCoast.org/wa which is accessible from a phone app. The app gives a reporting party the ability to attached pictures and GPS coordinates to the report giving the program immediate access to valuable information.
The DVRP partnered with the Defenders of Wildlife to create and distribute new informational handouts explaining the program and how to dispose of a vessel, for both public agencies and the private sector.
In Washington State’s 2019 legislative session the DVRP is asking for an additional $5 million dollars to remove large vessel from the state’s waters. There are currently 15 large derelict vessels needing removal. This funding will allow DNR to safely remove and recycle approximately 5 of those vessels. In addition to the ask for more funds, the program is seeking a onetime state law proviso to increase the spending limit on the prevention portion of the DVRP, the Vessel Turn-in Program (VTiP), from $200,000 to $500,000. The VTiP would be able to remove more than 100 vessels prior to the vessels becoming derelict or abandoned, thereby decreasing potential ADV removal costs. So far in the 2017-2019 biennium the DVRP has removed 99 vessels, 36 of which were VTiP.
 Joe and Katie in front of the Makah NRE Vessel. (Photo: NOAA)
Submitted by: Joe Petersen and Katie Wrubel, Makah Tribe
Aerial overflights were conducted in September 2018 to identify areas with high derelict crab gear density. We utilized the Makah Natural Resource Enforcement vessel to remove the identified gear. We had to line cutters built for this project. To date, 13 pots have been removed and 5 lines have been cut. We will conduct another targeted removal effort in June 2019, working with our crab fishermen in an effort to remove more gear with better tides and conditions.
 Volunteer gathers microplastics water sample. (Photo: UPS)
Submitted by: Peter Hodum, University of Puget Sound
Together with my research students at the University of Puget Sound, we have studied the distribution of microplastics in mussels throughout the Puget Sound region (a collaboration with the MusselWatch program run by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife), the abundance of microplastics in the waters of the Duwamish River watershed (a collaboration with Puget Soundkeeper), and the relationship between depth and plastic ingestion rates by mussels. We are currently setting up a laboratory study to be conducted during the summer of 2019 that will focus on the transfer of contaminants from ingested plastic to the tissues of fish.
Additionally, we gave three public outreach talks to community organizations/events and had a table at the first annual Tacoma Ocean Fest where we shared examples of microplastics, museum specimens of seabirds, and a hands-on activity in which festival attendees used microscopes to search for microplastics in water samples.
Submitted by: Paul Dye, Washington Sea Grant
Washington Sea Grant (WSG) continued the long-running Crabber-Towboat Lane coordination process for the Pacific Coast with a meeting in November 2018, and another in April 2019. The meetings bring together fishermen, tug, and barge operators together to avoid interactions that result in lost gear or vessel damage.
WSG launched a new interview show—Coastal Café—in partnership with radio station KPTZ (91.9 FM, Port Townsend). WSG’s Aaron Barnett is the host. He just recorded an interview with Jason Morgan, manager for the Northwest Straits Foundation’s Derelict Fishing Gear Program. Listen for it coming up soon.
 SPRRC volunteers Dale and Ruth get the display ready at the Youth Earth Summit held for high school students at Padilla Bay Reserve, December 7, 2019. (Photo: Joan Drinkwin)
Submitted by: Joan Drinkwin, Natural Resources Consultants
Since November 2019, the Skagit Plastics Reduction and Recycling Coalition (SPRRC) has reached 538 people in the Skagit County Community with its message of reducing the use of single-use plastics and recycling right. The group held a training for volunteers to help educate the community. It has a travelling interpretive display that its volunteers take to community venues, supermarkets, lectures, and other events to target the general public with its message. The group encourages display visitors to “Take the Plastic Pledge.” This pledge includes ten behaviors that people can commit to, including reducing single-use plastic and recycling correctly. When someone take the pledge, they are rewarded with a reusable shopping bag or produce mesh bag.
The SPRRC speaks widely at community events and has produced two e-newsletter blogs since December: one focusing on reducing waste over the holidays and one on New Years’ resolutions. Future planned events include hosting the display at the Anacortes and Mount Vernon Farmers Markets and hosting a film screening of “Kids Can Save the Planet and Plastic is Forever” at the Lincoln Theater in Mount Vernon.
The project is a collaboration between Friends of Skagit Beaches, Skagit County Solid Waste Department and is funded by the Washington Department of Ecology.
 Recovered derelict gear aboard a vessel. (Photo: NRC/QIN)
Submitted by: Molly Bogeberg, The Nature Conservancy
The Quinault Indian Nation led an effort with Natural Resource Consultants to remove derelict crab pots from the Washington Coast. 770 crab pots were removed and an additional 377 pot lines were cut and/or broke using the line cutter tool in 2017. Another 162 pots were addressed during 2018, for a total of 1,309.
 Puget SoundCorps team members with debris removed from an Aquatic Reserve. (Photo: DNR)
Submitted by: Birdie Davenport, Washington Department of Natural Resources
In the last six months, the Puget SoundCorps team conducted marine debris surveys along 1.7 miles of beaches in the Aquatic Reserves. The survey effort removed about 132 pounds of debris. The most common items found were pieces of foam, followed by foam and plastic packaging materials. Large debris that could not be removed, like creosote logs and derelict vessels, were documented with the MyCoast mobile app. Anyone can use this app to submit reports of large marine debris that helps Washington Department of Natural Resources prioritize removal efforts. In addition, the team cleaned up debris while carrying out other field work, removing at least 8 contractor bags full of garbage and several large items including foam blocks and even a piece of a boat!
Submitted by: Nir Barnea, NOAA Marine Debris Program
Funding Opportunities
The Fishing for Energy 2019 request for proposal is now open. The due date for proposals is April 25th. This competition focuses on reduction of the impact of derelict fishing gear through removal efforts and innovation in gear technology to reduce the impact of lost gear. Learn more about this funding opportunity, and if applicable, consider applying.
The NOAA Marine Debris Program provides funding for marine debris removal, research, and prevention. The FY 2020 call for proposals will be posted later this year. Please check the Funding Opportunities webpage for more details.
Marine Debris Resources
A wide array of marine debris resources are available for public use on the Marine Debris Program website. These resources, developed by the program and its partners, include outreach and education curricula, scientific reports and technical memos, regional action plans (including the WA MDAP!) and much more.
Science to Policy Summit: Plastics & the Columbia River
This year, the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership’s Annual Science to Policy Summit will focus on plastic pollution in the Columbia River. Estuary partnership staff, local business representatives, scientists, and policymakers will convene on Friday, June 21 to discuss what we know, what is being done, and what we need to do to reduce single-use plastics in the Columbia River and elsewhere.
Abandoned and Derelict Vessels Report is Now Available
A report titled: “The Current State of Abandoned and Derelict Vessels on the West Coast – White Paper”, drafted by the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force is now available. The report provides a summary of the abandoned and derelict vessel issue, policies, challenges, and prevention.
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