NOAA Marine Debris Program e-Newsletter | July 2019

July 2019

Volunteers removed 226 balloons and strings from the shoreline of Provincetown, MA (Photo: NOAA).

In This Issue

SE Marine Debris Action Plan

Monitoring for Clean Beaches

Students Lead the Way in MD

Slimming Summer Waste

Litter & Lakes

Microplastics in the Mississippi River

Marine Debris Solutions in New England

Helping Lake Erie One Bottle at a Time

Managing Marine Debris in the Mid-Atlantic

Derelict Fishing Gear in Cape Cod Bay

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 13
Pacific Beach Coalition
Dunes Beach
Half Moon Bay, CA

July 13
Florida State Parks
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
Key Biscayne, FL

July 13
Chicago Park District
Rainbow Beach
Chicago, IL

July 13
Alliance for the Great Lakes
Beaver Island State Park
Grand Island, NY

July 14
Save Our Shores
Natural Bridges State Beach
Santa Cruz, CA

July 14
Be the Solution to the Pollution
Pope Park Marina
New Bedford, MA

July 17
Clean Ocean Access
Surfer's End
Middletown, RI

July 18
Alliance for the Great Lakes
North Beach Park
Ferrysburg, MI

July 19
Umpqua River Adopt-A-River
Sutherlin, OR

July 20
Heal the Bay
Venice Beach Pier
Venice, CA

July 20
Ocean Hour
William Bartram Memorial Park
Pensacola, FL

July 20
Surfrider Maui
Oluwalu Beach
Lahaina, Maui, HI

July 20
Kent Island Beach Cleanups
Terrapin Beach & Hemingway's Beach
Stevensville, MD

July 20
Alliance for the Great Lakes
Pere Marquette Park
Muskegon, MI

July 20
Pennsylvania DCNR
Barracks Beach
Erie, PA

July 20
Surfrider Virginia Beach
31st Street Oceanfront
Virginia Beach, VA

July 20
Metroparks Tacoma
Point Defiance Marina
Tacoma, WA

July 21
Surfrider San Francisco
Ocean Beach
San Francisco, CA

July 21
Love The Everglades
Miccosukee Resort
Miami, FL

July 21
Tybee Clean Beach
Marine Science Center
Tybee Island, GA

July 21
Hui O Ho’ohonua
Kapapapuhi Point Park
Ewa Beach, O'ahu, HI

July 26
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Pier 1
Brooklyn, NY

July 27
I Love a Clean San Diego
Imperial Beach, CA

July 27
Mississippi Coastal Cleanup
Ken Combs Pier
Gulfport, MS

July 27
Alliance for the Great Lakes
Lakefront Reservation
Cleveland, OH

July 27
Clark County Parks
Frenchman's Bar Regional Park
Vancouver, WA

July 28
Surfrider San Francisco
Baker Beach
San Francisco, CA

July 28
Miami Dive Against Debris
South Beach Divers
Miami Beach, FL

July 28
Sharkastics
Kukona Place
Wailuku, Maui, HI

July 30
808 Cleanups
Kaʻena Point State Park
Waialua, O'ahu, HI


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

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Website & Blog

New Southeast Marine Debris Action Plan!

Southeast Marine Debris Action Plan

Check out the new Action Plan!

We are pleased to share the Southeast Marine Debris Action Plan! This document is the result of a collaborative effort between the NOAA Marine Debris Program and partners in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and represents a partner-led effort to guide actions in the Southeast on marine debris for the next three years.

Learn More


Monitoring for Clean Beaches

Mission Aransas NERR

A bundle of lost fishing gear and other debris at Padres Island, Texas (Photo: Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve).

Beaches are not just for fun in the sun, but also provide important habitat for wildlife and drive coastal economies. We are celebrating the people that help us collect data, better understand marine debris on shorelines, and keep beaches clean!

Learn More


Students Lead the Way in Maryland

Alice Ferguson Foundation

Students from Northwestern High School lead a cleanup at Hyattsville Middle School (Photo: Alice Ferguson Foundation).

Students in Prince George’s County, Maryland are leading the way in marine debris prevention and cleanup in their community. Through the Alice Ferguson Foundation’s Watershed Leadership Program, more than 400 students from seven local high schools have learned about plastic pollution and executed school-based action plans to prevent marine debris.

Learn More


Slimming Summer Waste

Overflowing Trash Can

When you're at the beach this summer, always dispose of trash properly (Photo: NOAA).

It’s officially summertime! This is a time for family vacations, barbeques, and fun in the sun. Before you plan your summer activities, keep in mind the amount of waste they can generate, including travel shampoos and coolers filled with drinks and snacks. Even items that are properly recycled or placed in the trash can end up as marine debris. Fortunately, we have some easy tips for slimming down waste and preventing marine debris this season.

Learn More


Litter & Lakes

Partners for Clean Streams

Debris removed from Missionary Island (Photo: Partners for Clean Streams).

Although they don’t have salt water, the Great Lakes are vast and can feel like small oceans. Unfortunately, this unique freshwater system is not immune to the issue of marine debris, and can even experience higher concentrations of debris. Dedicated partners are working to address plastics and microplastics, derelict fishing gear, abandoned and derelict vessels, and other debris throughout the region.

Learn More


Microplastics in the Mississippi

Texas A&M

Researchers measure water quality information and collect samples of solid materials in the Mississippi River (Photo: Jeremy L. Conkle).

The growing tide of plastic debris in our ocean is partially due to the steady discharge of plastic by our rivers that drain into the sea. The Mississippi River discharges 593,000 cubic feet of water per second, potentially transporting massive amounts of microplastics to the ocean. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is working to understand the amount of microplastics found in this iconic and important river.

Learn More


Marine Debris Solutions in New England

National Audubon Society

The National Audubon Society is working to remove derelict fishing gear from Maine coastal islands (Photo: National Audubon Society Seabird Restoration Program).

From the nation’s oldest fishing port, to feeding grounds for endangered North Atlantic right whales, to a rapidly expanding aquaculture industry, New England’s productive coastlines provide so much for the people and animals who depend upon them. Our partners in the Northeast are working hard to give a little bit back by stopping marine debris at its source, removing existing debris, and educating local communities.

Learn More


Helping Lake Erie One Water Bottle at a Time

Partners for Clean Streams

Volunteers paddle marine debris back from a Maumee River island cleanup with Wood County Parks (Photo: Partners for Clean Streams).

In northern Ohio, littering, dumping, and even destructive ice jams bring debris to the Maumee River and Lake Erie. Partners for Clean Streams is taking on debris one bottle at a time with the help of volunteers, while helping restore habitat for walleye, white bass, and yellow perch.

Learn More


Managing Marine Debris in the Mid-Atlantic

Stockton University

Southern New Jersey crabbers are working together to recover and prevent lost fishing gear (Photo: Stockton University).

With over 400 miles of coastline and over 10,000 miles of tidal shoreline, the Mid-Atlantic region is bountiful in its cultural, social, and environmental diversity. Like many coastal areas around the country, this region is often inundated with debris ranging from derelict fishing gear to consumer debris items, like plastic bags, bottles, and food packaging. Fortunately, there are several great efforts currently underway to address marine debris in the Mid-Atlantic.

Learn More


Derelict Fishing Gear in Cape Cod Bay

Center for Coastal Studies

The F/V Miss Lilly returns to the dock loaded with derelict lobster traps in Provincetown, MA (Photo: Center for Coastal Studies).

With the support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, the Center for Coastal Studies, located in Provincetown, Massachusetts, is mobilizing fishermen and volunteers to identify, document, and properly dispose of derelict fishing gear from Cape Cod Bay and the Cape Cod National Seashore.

Learn More