NOAA Marine Debris Program e-Newsletter |November 2024

Cover of the NOAA Marine Debris Program Turning the Tide on Trash Newsletter.

Artwork by Sahini K. (Grade 6, Florida), winner of the annual NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest. 

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In This Issue

Special Funding Opportunity

Nationwide Survey

Now Open: Art Contest

Upcoming Webinar

Latino Conservation Week

Community Cleans Derelict Crab Pots

Quick Links

Marine Debris Website
Marine Debris Blog
Monitoring Toolbox
In Your Region
ADV InfoHub
Clearinghouse

Clipboard at the beach.

Monitoring Toolbox

The NOAA Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project has an updated Monitoring Toolbox! Check out the new video tutorials and database visualization tools, along with refreshed guides and field datasheets. The Monitoring Toolbox contains all of the resources you need to get started.

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Website & Blog

Special Funding Opportunity: Fiscal Year 2025 Ocean Odyssey Marine Debris Prevention Awards for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility

A presenter speaking to a classroom with a stack of marine debris curricula piled on one of the desks.

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Educator Workshop in July 2024 (Photo Credit: NOAA).

There is still time to submit a Request for Proposals for the Ocean Odyssey Marine Debris Prevention Awards for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility (DEIJA). With funding from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation will award 10-15 grants, totaling up to $100,000 for this funding competition. Individual awards will range between $5,000 and $10,000 to support initiatives that prevent the adverse impacts of marine debris in communities that are underserved, underrepresented, or overburdened by marine debris. These projects may include marine debris prevention, education, and outreach activities. Full proposals are due on November 20, 2024 by 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time.

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NOAA Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project Nationwide Survey Funded Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Two people sorting through marine debris on a sandy beach.

Public participants in NOAA’s Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project sort debris items and record data at Nukoli’i Beach, Hawai’i (Photo Credit: K Stock, Kauai Surfrider).

We are proud to announce the launch of the NOAA Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project Nationwide Survey. This one-year survey will be conducted in partnership with 1stMission LLC and represents an investment of over $3.3 million in federal funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It will establish a scientifically valid baseline assessment of marine debris found on U.S. shorelines, including the continental U.S., Caribbean, Alaska, Pacific Islands, and Great Lakes, as well as a longer-term vision for documenting trends. 

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Now Open: The Annual NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest

A drawing of a coral reef full of sea creatures and trash, with an octopus at the top holding two signs.

Artwork by Sahini K. (Grade 6, Florida), winner of the annual NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest.

Are you a student or teacher who’s passionate about marine debris? Then get your art supplies ready, because this year’s NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest is officially open! Students in grades K-8 from the United States and U.S. territories can submit their artwork now through December 13th. Enter today and you could see your artwork featured in our 2026 Marine Debris Calendar! So get crafty, get creative, and help us raise awareness about marine debris.

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Upcoming Webinar: Tropical Islands Partnering on Solutions for Marine Debris (TIPS)

A person holds up a large net.

Raimundo Espinoza, the Executive Director of Conservación ConCiencia will be presenting at the next TIPS webinar (Photo Credit: Conservación ConCiencia).

Help us “reel in the problem” and tackle abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) at our next webinar: From Gear to Ghost: Reeling in the Problem on December 10, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. This TIPS webinar will feature presentations from various organizations that engage in ALDFG mitigation efforts. Presenters will speak about prevention, removal, and research initiatives aimed to "reel in the problem" of ALDFG. Register for the upcoming webinar and catch up on previous recordings on our website.

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Un Viaje por los Humedales: Celebrating Latino Conservation Week with San Diego Bird Alliance

Piñata letters that spell "LCW" on the lawn of a community event.

A fantastic and successful Latino Conservation Week celebration (Credit: San Diego Bird Alliance).

With funding from the NOAA Marine Debris Program and National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, San Diego Bird Alliance (SDBA) hosted a celebration that showcased San Diego’s rich biodiversity and the importance of coastal wetlands, and emphasized the importance of collaboration to protect our environment. The event brought  the community to the tidal wetlands habitats to share and learn about the species that live there and how they need protection and space to live and thrive. In celebration of their work and the local community, SDBA hosted "Un Viaje por los Humedales,” or “Journey through the Wetlands,” as part of their 5th annual Latino Conservation Week (LCW).

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Innerspace Exploration Leads Community Efforts to Clean Up Derelict Crab Pots

Derelict crab traps on a boat.

The team removed 449 crab pots from Sequim and Discovery Bay (Credit: Innerspace Exploration).

Dungeness Crab are an essential asset to the North Olympic Peninsula, ecologically, economically, and culturally. A side-effect of the beloved fishery is gear loss and bycatch, in Washington State an estimated 120,000 crab pots are deployed annually and there is an estimated gear loss of 10%. In response, Innerspace Exploration partnered with the NOAA Marine Debris Program, Clallam and Jefferson County Marine Resources Committees, the Fiero Marine Science Center, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, the North Olympic Chapter of the Puget Sound Anglers, and many other community partners on the Sequim & Discovery Bay Derelict Crab Pot Removal project. This effort focused on documenting and removing pots from both Discovery and Sequim Bay in Washington.

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