NOAA Marine Debris Program e-Newsletter | December 2020

December 2020

Plastic bottles on a shoreline in American Samoa (Photo: Ata Vaimaona, Remote Elite Services).

In This Issue

New Five-Year Strategic Plan

North American Grant Opportunity Open

Virtual Public Meeting of the IMDCC

Marine Debris Art Contest Closing Soon

Partnering with Native Communities 

Community-Driven Marine Debris Campaigns in Alaska

Marine Debris Impacts to Coral Reefs

Quick Links

Marine Debris Website
Marine Debris Blog
MDMAP Toolbox
ADV InfoHub
Clearinghouse

Marine Debris Tracker Mobile Application

Marine Debris Tracker App

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

Digital Debris Educational Resources

Trash Talk

Explore marine debris topics, such as garbage patches, right from home!

Parents, students, and teachers: did you know we have free activities, videos, and more, all available online? Learn about marine debris and have some fun, wherever you might be, with digital debris educational resources for all ages!

Learn More

2021 Marine Debris Calendar Available Online

Cover of the 2021 Marine Debris Calendar

Download the 2021 Marine Debris Calendar on our website now! (Cover art by Sophie W., Grade 8, Michigan)

We are proud to announce that our 2021 Marine Debris Calendar is now available for download! This year’s calendar features artwork from thirteen students in kindergarten through eighth grade from nine states and two U.S. territories, all winners of the “Keep the Sea Free of Debris” art contest.

Learn More

Want to hear more from the NOAA MDP? Follow us on:

Facebook Logo

@NOAAMarineDebris

Twitter Logo

@NOAADebris

Instagram Logo

@NOAADebris

NOAA Logo

Website & Blog

New Five-Year Strategic Plan

2021-2025 Strategic Plan

Check out the link below to read the full Strategic Plan!

We are pleased to share our new Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2021-2025! This document highlights how the Marine Debris Program will work with dedicated staff and partners for the next five years to make a measurable change toward reaching our vision: the global ocean and its coasts free from the impacts of marine debris.

Learn More


North America Grant Opportunity Open

Tijuana River NERR goat canyon basin

Debris along the lower part of the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (Photo: Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve).

We are proud to announce our FY 2021 North America Marine Debris Prevention and Removal notice of funding opportunity (NOFO). Funding for this NOFO was provided through the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Implementation Act. The USMCA recognizes the importance of taking action to prevent and reduce marine debris, including plastic litter and microplastics, in order to preserve human health and marine and coastal ecosystems, prevent the loss of biodiversity, and mitigate the costs and impacts of marine debris.

Learn More


Virtual Public Meeting of the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee

Marine debris monitoring

RSVP for the IMDCC meeting to learn about the marine debris monitoring and detection activities of the participating agencies (Photo: NOAA).

On December 15, 2020, the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee (IMDCC) will have a virtual meeting open to public attendance from 10:00am to 11am EST. The open meeting will include presentations on the marine debris monitoring and detection activities of the participating agencies. There will not be a public comment period. 

Learn More


Marine Debris Art Contest Closing Soon!

Artwork by Kate D., Grade 8, Florida.

Artwork by Kate D. (Grade 8, Florida).

There's still time to submit your entry for the NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest! Students in grades K-8 from the United States and U.S. territories can submit their artwork in the mail and online until December 15.

Learn More


Partnering with Native Communities to Take On Marine Debris

Derelict fishing gear in bins on a dock.

Some of the marine debris removed during a 2016 pilot project (Photo: Swinomish Indian Tribal Community/Natural Resources Consultants, Inc.).

Indigenous communities have a deep understanding of and relationship with the natural environment, which has fostered expert and nuanced traditional ecological knowledge, and shaped cultural practices and identity. NOAA recognizes the importance of indigenous peoples' traditional knowledge for understanding the environment, adapting to environmental change, and improving the health of environments that we all depend on. We are proud to work with indigenous communities in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest to understand and reduce the impacts of marine debris through projects that prevent and remove marine debris. 

Learn More


Community-Driven Marine Debris Campaigns in Alaska

Cleanup in St. Paul, Alaska

Youth participate in a beach cleanup on Gorbatch, adjacent to the town of St. Paul where seals occupy the shorelines during the summer months (Photo: Veronica Padula).

The Pribilof Islands are among the most unique and important places in the world. Three of the five islands making up the Pribilof Islands are uninhabited, but two of the largest islands, St. George and St. Paul Islands, host vibrant communities that are predominantly Unangax̂/Unangan. However, these communities have long shouldered the burdensome and overwhelming responsibility of removing tens of thousands of tons of debris, much of which originates far from the communities themselves. Because of the multitude of threats resulting from marine debris, these communities have developed and expanded locally-driven marine debris prevention and removal efforts.

Learn More


Marine Debris Impacts to Coral Reefs

Coral head in net

Broken coral heads inside of a derelict fishing net (Photo: NOAA).

Coral reefs are one of Earth’s most productive ecosystems. Rocky reefs can form barrier islands that protect the mainland from storms and destructive waves, they are home to a third of all the fish species in the ocean, and provide food for millions of people. They are also fragile, which means that marine debris can have a huge impact on these ecosystems. This #CoralsWeek learn about the impacts of marine debris to coral ecosystems and how you can make a difference!

Learn More