RESEARCH PREVENT REDUCE REMOVE EDUCATE

2013 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT 

NOAA MARINE DEBRIS PROGRAM
TABLE OF CONTENTS

OVERVIEW 3

FROM THE DIRECTOR 4

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS 

NORTHEAST 5

SOUTHEAST AND

CARIBBEAN 6

GREAT LAKES 7

GULF OF MEXICO 8

ALASKA 10

WEST COAST 12

PACIFIC ISLANDS 14

RESEARCH 16

OUTREACH AND EDUCATION 19

SEVERE MARINE

DEBRIS EVENTS 21

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 23

NOAA Marine Debris Program

Office of Response and Restoration

National Ocean Service

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

U.S. Department of Commerce
3

Marine debris is everyone’s problem. It 

affects everything from the environment 

to the economy; from fishing and 

navigation to human health and safety; 

from the tiniest coral polyps to giant blue 

whales. 

The NOAA Marine Debris Program 

(MDP) leads national and international 

efforts to research, prevent, and reduce 

the impacts of marine debris. Its staff, 

which is positioned across the country, 

supports marine debris projects in 

partnership with state and local agencies, 

tribes, non-governmental organizations, 

academia, and industry. The program 

also spearheads national research efforts 

and works to change behavior in the 

public through outreach and education 

initiatives.

In December 2012, Congress passed 

legislation reauthorizing the NOAA 

MDP. The new, amended Marine Debris 

Act largely preserved the program’s 

mandates to research, prevent, reduce, 

and remove marine debris, but it 

added a new core function: addressing 

severe marine debris events. The bill 

recognizes the need to address the 

unusual amounts and types of marine 

debris following events such as tsunamis 

or hurricanes and NOAA’s critical role, 

placing the program at the forefront of 

coordination and scientific support for 

these events.

OVERVIEW:

NOAA MARINE DEBRIS PROGRAM

ABOUT THE PROGRAM MARINE DEBRIS ACT:

REAUTHORIZATION

Bottle caps, consumer debris, and other 

microplastics comprise the gut contents 

of this decesaed albatross found in the 

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

DECAYED ALBATROSS
2013 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT

LEADING IN MARINE DEBRIS:

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Last December, Senator Daniel Inouye 

of Hawai’i, a long time marine debris 

champion and driving force behind 

this program’s existence, passed away. 

In a speech before us in March 2011, 

he touted the Hawaiian tradition of 

“mālama,” meaning “to care for” the 

ocean and the land, and he emphasized 

the importance of working together 

to solve the marine debris problem. 

Collaboration has always been the way 

of the NOAA Marine Debris Program, and 

that is how we spent our 2013, working 

through that legacy he left us. 

Many of our achievements this year 

have either been a direct result of work 

with our dedicated partners or through 

efforts to improve collaboration. In 

June, we launched the Marine Debris 

Clearinghouse, a unique online database 

that will be an information hub for the 

nation’s marine debris stakeholders. 

Through it, we can hopefully inspire 

action. 

Another major milestone came late in 

December , when Congress passed a bill 

reauthorizing our program. In addition 

to reaffirming our mandate to address 

debris, the reauthorization also increased 

our scope of work with a new core 

function to address “severe marine debris 

events,” caused by natural disasters.

These somber efforts to address natural 

disaster debris continued throughout the 

year. We mobilized when Sandy swept 

through the Northeast, devastating 

entire communities and leaving debris 

in its wake. The program’s response 

to Japan tsunami marine debris also 

continued, and while the amount of 

debris washing ashore was less than 

previous years, we were not short on 

activity. In the regions where we focused 

these efforts, we saw amazing work 

from our partners, and the outcome is 

an emerging marine debris response 

community. 

Marine debris removal projects, research 

on plastics and detection, and education 

and outreach also continued – all 

through robust partnerships. I am very 

proud to present the NOAA Marine 

Debris Program’s accomplishments from 

2013, and I look forward to seeing what 

we can accomplish in the new year, 

together. 

NOAA divers and staff work together 

to pull out derelict nets from Hawaiian 

waters around Midway Atoll. 

MIDWAY ATOLL, HAWAI‘I
5

In 2013, the NOAA MDP funded the 

Cornell Cooperative Extension of 

Suffolk County (CCE) through the NOAA 

Community-based Marine Debris 

Prevention and Removal Grants Program 

to remove abandoned lobster traps and 

other fishing gear from the Long Island 

Sound. Derelict fishing gear can spend 

years on the seabed, “ghostfishing ” 

and damaging habitat as it settles. The 

gear can also compromise navigational 

safety and damage fishing equipment 

and boats. 

Members of the Long Island 

Lobstermen’s Association and CCE staff 

identified, located, and safely removed 

lost gear from the seabed. Fishers 

recycled the retrieved gear at Covanta, 

a local recycling facility that turns old 

fishing gear into a renewable energy 

source through the Fishing for Energy 

partnership (see page 22 – Fishing for 

Energy).

LONG ISLAND SOUND 

DERELICT LOBSTER 

GEAR ASSESSMENT 

REMOVAL AND 

PREVENTION 

DERELICT CRAB TRAP 

REMOVAL IN THE 

MULLICA RIVER GREAT 

BAY ESTUARY

The Mullica River–Great Bay estuary, one 

of the most pristine East Coast estuaries, 

drains approximately 353 square miles 

of New Jersey’s pinelands and is an 

important resource for the region’s 

commercial crabbers. Unfortunately, 

boat traffic and powerful storms cause 

crabbers to lose many of their pots every 

year. In 2013, NOAA MDP funded a twoyear project through Richard Stockton 

College of New Jersey to conduct on-theground, sustainable, community-based 

derelict fishing gear removal efforts in 

the region. Project leads used sonar to 

locate more than 1,500 crab pots in a 

5-square-mile area and recovered 491 

pots. Stockton College will continue 

its removal efforts, improving recovery 

techniques and educating the local 

boating community on the impacts of 

derelict fishing gear.

NORTHEAST

Ghost fishing occurs 

when lost or abandoned 

fishing gear continues 

to catch animals.

Lost pots have the 

potential to ghostfish 

for crabs, lobster, and 

other ecologically 

important species such 

as turtles, causing an 

economic loss to the 

fishery and habitat 

destruction.

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

Finding marine debris solutions through research, outreach, and education, both 

nationally and regionally, is an every day task for the NOAA MDP. The program made 

great strides towards reducing, preventing, and raising awareness about the global 

debris issue in FY13. Here’s a look at a few highlights and some major accomplishments 

from this past year.
2013 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT

BROWARD COUNTY 

WASTE TIRE REMOVAL 

PROJECT

During the 1970s, 700,000 tires were 

placed on Osborne Reef, located 1.3 

miles off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, 

FL, in an effort to create additional fish 

habitat. Over the years, tropical storms 

and hurricanes mobilized the tires, 

damaging nearby existing coral reefs and 

shorelines. In 2013, the NOAA MDP, along 

with local agencies, funded Broward 

to put contract removal efforts. With 

continued funding into 2014, the county 

will contract SCUBA divers will work 

to locate, remove, and dispose of tires 

found at Osborne Reef. 

DERELICT NET 

REMOVAL IN SOUTH 

FLORIDA

In the early spring of 2013, the NOAA 

MDP learned that an abandoned 

commercial fishing net was tangled 

around Tenneco Towers, an artificial 

reef in South Florida waters. The large 

monofilament net, with floats on top 

and lead weights at the bottom, posed 

a serious threat to divers and marine life 

that encounter the popular reef, located 

two miles offshore in Florida waters near 

the Miami-Dade and Broward county 

line.

The net had entangled fish and a 

loggerhead turtle. Local divers and 

resource managers were concerned 

that more marine life would be trapped 

if it was left underwater. The NOAA 

MDP worked with federal, state and 

local agencies to raise removal funds 

and assess the net’s condition, develop 

safe removal plans, and coordinate its 

removal. That enduring partnership 

included the Florida Department 

of Environmental Protection, 

Covanta Energy, Miami-Dade County 

Environmental Resources Management, 

the National Fish and Wildlife 

Foundation, the National Save the Sea 

Turtle Foundation, the U.S. Coast Guard, 

the U.S. Navy and the Wildlife Foundation 

of Florida.

Tenneco Towers 

artificial reef was 

made from an old 

Louisiana oil rig 

and placed offshore 

to attract fish and 

serve as a substrate 

for coral and other 

marine life.

TENNECO TOWERS, FLORIIDA

SOUTHEAST 

AND

CARIBBEAN

An entangled loggerhead 

turtle caught in an abandoned 

fishing net did not survive the 

marine debris.
7

OHIO CLEAN MARINAS 

PROGRAM

The Ohio Clean Marinas Program 

increases environmental stewardship 

by educating boaters and marinas on 

environmental laws and helping them 

follow best management practices. This 

year, the NOAA MDP worked with Ohio 

Clean Marinas to increase education on 

marine debris by providing prevention 

messaging, incorporating marine 

debris language into best management 

practices and boater tip sheets, and 

distributing signage. The NOAA 

MDP also helped Ohio Clean Marinas 

leverage a partnership with the BoatUS 

Foundation to place more than 20 

monofilament fishing line recycling bins 

at participating “Clean Marinas” sites. 

GREAT LAKES 

LAND-BASED DEBRIS 

ACTION PLANNING

In May 2013, the NOAA MDP, in 

partnership with the Alliance for the 

Great Lakes and Old Woman Creek 

National Estuarine Research Reserve, 

brought together a diverse group of 

stakeholders to develop a strategic plan 

for addressing land-based marine debris 

– the first of its kind for the Great Lakes 

region. 

Representatives from federal, state 

and local agencies, as well as nongovernmental organizations participated 

and identified five major goals: 

Addressing science, policy, outreach and 

education, impact reduction through 

removal, prevention, and strategic 

partnerships. The group also identified 

specific actions under each goal and will 

finalize them in the new fiscal year.

GREAT LAKES

PORT OF CLEVELAND, OHIO

Workshop participants view the 

Port of Cleveland’s cleanup vessels.
2013 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT

HORN ISLAND BARGE 

REMOVAL

Until recently, a large, dilapidated barge 

jutted out of the water near Horn Island, 

a thin barrier island off the coast of 

Mississippi. The partially submerged 

barge created a hazard to navigation 

and adversely altered seagrass habitat, 

replacing seagrass beds with bare sand 

substrate and preventing re-colonization 

of seagrass from nearby patches . 

The rusting, metallic barge remains 

potentially disrupted the habitats of 

an array of wildlife, including alligators, 

herons, pelicans, ospreys, and other 

migratory birds.

To promote ecological restoration, 

the Gulf Islands National Seashore, 

with support from the NOAA MDP, 

spearheaded a large collaborative effort 

to assess and remove the sunken barge. 

Removal operations began in August 

2013, and a team from Gulf Stream 

Marine Enterprises, Inc., contracted 

by the National Park Service, worked 

tirelessly to remove the barge. The 

team removed the majority of the 

structure within the first few days of 

labor, and further operations to assess 

REMOVAL ON 

FLORIDA’S FORGOTTEN 

COAST

Florida’s “Forgotten Coast,” a stretch of 

sandy, remote beaches east of Panama 

City provides ideal nesting sites for 

endangered sea turtles and shorebirds, 

thanks to its sparse human population. 

Unfortunately, storms have caused 

marine debris to accumulate in the 

area, threatening the nesting species. In 

2013, with support from the NOAA MDP, 

the University of Florida led cleanups, 

preceding sea turtle nesting season, to 

restore the habitat. The group mapped, 

measured, and removed 3,500 pieces 

of debris, including small items such as 

plastic bottle caps and cigarette butts to 

large items such as propane tanks – all 

totaling about 45 tons. In the first phase, 

175 volunteers cleaned 75 km of beach 

on five different beaches.

With continued funding into 2014, the 

University of Florida will craft outreach 

and education materials for the 

Northwest Florida community, continue 

cleanups, and analyze data to determine 

potential debris impacts on this sensitive 

habitat. 

the underwater portions of the site are 

underway. Now that the barge is gone, 

seagrass beds will hopefully return to the 

area.

Seagrass beds are 

essential habitat for 

species of conservation 

concern (e.g. sea turtles) 

including fishes, shrimp, 

and crabs. Seagrass 

improves water quality, 

dampens waves, and 

stabilizes sediment.

GULF OF 

MEXICO
9

HORN ISLAND, MISSISSIPPI

A piece of an abandoned barge, along 

the north side of Horn Island, pokes 

above the water’s surface, posing 

a threat to navigation safety and 

impacting the seagrass beds on the 

seafloor.
2013 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT

GYRE EXPEDITION

The NOAA MDP participated in the 

GYRE project, an innovative effort led 

by the Alaska SeaLife Center that took 

scientists, artists, and debris cleanup 

experts on a seven-day expedition to 

experience and discuss the marine 

debris problem on Alaskan shores. The 

crew stopped at remote beaches and 

met with the partners that clean and 

care for them, capturing scientific data 

and artistic impressions along the way. 

Findings from this expedition will be part 

of a 2014 marine debris exhibit at the 

Anchorage Museum, supported in part 

by the NOAA MDP.

PRIORITIZATION

Following the arrival of tsunami debris 

from Japan in 2012, the NOAA MDP 

worked with the state to use debris 

density data and impact assessments 

to help the state rank beaches and 

allocate resources for future cleanups. 

The prioritization will remain a resource 

for future cleanup planning in the marine 

debris community.

TENAKEE SPRINGS 

GOES ALL-IN ON 

DEBRIS REMOVAL

Marine debris removal efforts across 

Alaska continued in 2013, with two 

groups funded to remove debris during 

the short Alaskan field season through 

the NOAA Community-based Marine 

Debris Prevention and Removal 

Grants Program. In Tenakee Springs, 

a town of less than a 100 in Southeast 

Alaska, residents used their own boats 

and a lot of ingenuity to clean over 35 

miles of shoreline, removing nearly 3.5 

tons of debris. On the other side of the 

Gulf of Alaska, Island Trails Network put 

together a team of volunteers to clean 

the remote beaches of Tugidak Island, an 

uninhabited island southwest of Kodiak 

Island known for its important seabird 

nesting habitat. Working out of a camp 

in shifts, 13 volunteers removed an 

estimated 25,000 pounds of debris from 

4.5 miles of shoreline.

The NOAA 

community-based 

removal grant is a 

funding opportunity 

offered by the NOAA 

MDP in cooperation 

with the NOAA 

Restoration Center.

ALASKA

TENEKEE SPRINGS, ALASKA

A large, weathered piece of 

wood debris along the Alaskan 

shoreline.
11

HALLO BAY, ALASKA

Volunteers remove debris previously 

collected by National Park Service staff from 

Hallo Bay in Katmai National Park. The debris 

was transported to Seward for disposal, as 

there was nowhere to take it locally.
2013 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT

SAN DIEGO BAY 

ANCHORAGE VESSEL 

REMOVAL

Until 2008, A-8 Anchorage, a once free, 

long-term anchorage site in San Diego 

Bay, provided a home for houseboats 

and a place for boaters to park vessels 

for long periods of time. However, a 

significant marine debris issue – derelict 

vessels, including sunken vessels 

abandoned at the site – prompted the 

San Diego Board of Port Commissioners 

to shut it down. Shortly after, the NOAA 

MDP funded a three-phase marine debris 

removal project, proposed by the San 

Diego Unified Port District. 

In Phases 1 and 2, project leads at the 

port used side-scan sonar to assess the 

site and recruited volunteers to remove 

75 vessels and 700 pieces of debris, 

totaling more than 175 tons. Sidescan sonar images from the first two 

phases revealed additional debris in the 

surrounding area. Phase 3, conducted 

this year, continued the use of side-scan 

sonar in targeting debris concentration 

areas. Volunteers removed 11 vessels 

and nearly 1,000 pieces of debris from 

the 350 acre area surrounding the A-8 

Anchorage. In total, these efforts resulted 

in the removal of more than 350 tons of 

debris from San Diego Bay.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

An anchorage is an 

area of a harbor 

where vessels can 

be anchored. 

WEST COAST

A Vessel Assist crew removes a derelict 

vessel from the sea floor in the waters 

surrounding the A-8 Anchorage site in 

San Diego Bay. 
13

NORTHWEST STRAITS 

FOUNDATION DERELICT 

NET REMOVAL 

The Northwest Straits Initiative has 

removed derelict fishing nets from the 

Puget Sound for more than a decade. The 

nets, mostly monofilament gillnets lost 

during the height of salmon fishing in 

the sound, continue to indiscriminately 

entangle marine life and impact sea floor 

habitat. In 2013, the NOAA MDP funded 

a net removal project, coordinated by 

the Northwest Straits Foundation and 

the Natural Resources Consultants. Over 

100 days, divers removed 224 nets and 

24 crab pots and restored 41 acres of 

habitat.

WEST COAST 

GOVERNOR’S 

ALLIANCE MARINE 

DEBRIS STRATEGY

Since 2008, the NOAA MDP has 

supported the West Coast Governor’s 

Alliance (WCGA), working closely 

with the WCGA Marine Debris Action 

Coordination Team, to draft a strategy 

that provides a framework to identify, 

assess, prevent, and reduce marine 

debris. The program funded two of 

the three workshops needed to bring 

the team together to outline and draft 

the strategy, and in June, the WCGA 

Executive Committee approved it. 

The strategy will serve as a baseline to 

achieve debris reduction targets through 

removal and prevention efforts.

DEBRIS REMOVAL AT 

POINT MOLATE BEACH 

With support from the NOAA MDP, San 

Francisco Baykeeper removed roughly 

100 tons of marine debris from Point 

Molate beach in Richmond, CA. The 

debris was mostly creosote -treated 

wood pilings, which accumulated at the 

site over the course of several decades. 

Old piers and other maritime facilities 

in the area have broken down over time 

and become the source of this debris.

Volunteers spent 470 hours removing 

the pilings and other debris. It helped 

restore and enhance the coastal habitat 

and facilitated the September 2013 

re-opening of the park, which had been 

closed for nearly 12 years.

Creosote is a 

widely used wood 

preservative in the 

United States.

Wood treated with 

creosote is used 

commercially in 

railroad construction, 

utility poles, docks, 

seawalls, and pier 

pilings.

1 52

harbor seal seabirds

279 fish

40,000+

invertebrates

MARINE LIFE FOUND IN 

DERELICT NETS
2013 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT

MIDWAY ATOLL 

MARINE DEBRIS 

SURVEY AND 

REMOVAL EFFORT 

As part of an ongoing effort since 1996, 

trained NOAA divers with the NOAA 

Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center’s 

Coral Reef Ecosystem Division remove 

derelict nets and gear each year from 

the coral reefs and coastlines in the 

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. In 2013, 

the effort, funded in part by the NOAA 

MDP, focused on Midway Atoll. In total, 

divers removed more than 13 metric tons 

of gear and plastics from the shoreline 

and nearshore reefs. The crew also 

collected shoreline debris data at three 

sites for a pilot accumulation rate study 

on derelict fishing gear as part of the 

NOAA MDP’s Marine Debris Monitoring 

and Assessment Project.

DEBRIS REMOVAL IN 

HAWAI‘I 

In August 2013, 35 volunteers removed 

491 pounds of nets and ropes and an 

additional 435 pounds of plastic floats, 

tires, and fish trap parts, bottles, and 

general debris at the first Surfrider Kauai 

Beach Cleanup and Net Patrol marine 

debris cleanup at Hanamaulu Beach. 

Surfrider was one of six organizations 

that received funding from the NOAA 

MDP and Hawai‘i Department of Land 

and Natural Resources to conduct 

cleanups. The nets and ropes were 

adopted by Restore Kauai for reuse or 

shipped to H-Power, courtesy of Matson 

and Schnitzer Steel.

MIDWAY ATOLL, HAWAI‘I

PACIFIC 

ISLANDS

A NOAA diver removes a pile of 

derelict fishing gear from the 

reefs in Midway Atoll, one of 

several atolls and islands of the 

Papahānaumokuākea Marine 

National Monument and World 

Heritage Site.
15

MICROPLASTICS

Microplastic collected from the ocean 

column. These small bits of plastics 

make up the majority of items found 

in the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” 

where they float suspended in the 

water column.
2013 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT

PLASTICS 

In 2013, the NOAA MDP funded research 

through the University of Maryland to 

analyze samples the program collected 

during surface trawls in the Chesapeake 

Bay. The researchers found microplastics 

in almost all of the samples, proving 

that an analytical quantification 

technique developed by the University 

of Washington Tacoma and the NOAA 

MDP works, and further confirming that 

microplastics are a problem in coastal 

systems. To further study the impacts of 

plastic on the marine environment, the 

program also funded research this year 

that will investigate the chemical effects 

of marine debris.

This year, the NOAA MDP also 

supported the Joint Group of Experts 

on the Scientific Aspects of Marine 

Environmental Protection (GESAMP), an 

advisory body to the United Nations, 

to conduct a global assessment of 

microplastic particles. GESAMP brought 

together members from nine countries 

and five continents, including the NOAA 

MDP, to form a working group. In July, 

members of the working group met to 

draft an assessment report that covered 

the inputs of plastic and microplastic to 

marine systems, particle degradation 

and transport, the effects of microplastic 

on marine organisms, and public 

perception.

MARINE DEBRIS 

CLEARINGHOUSE

In June 2013, the NOAA MDP launched 

the Marine Debris Clearinghouse, an 

online database that will serve as the 

federal government’s information hub for 

marine debris stakeholders. This resource 

benefits the nation’s coastal managers, 

researchers, and communities as they 

work to study and mitigate marine debris 

and its impacts. 

The site, developed in partnership 

with NOAA’s National Coastal Data 

Development Center, provides users 

access to information on ongoing and 

historical marine debris projects related 

to removal, research, and outreach. 

The site’s sophisticated search function 

allows users to query specific project 

data, such as date and description, 

location, or marine debris type.

Looking ahead, the Clearinghouse 

will include new features, including a 

resource library that will provide access 

to regional action and response plans, 

technical documents, and “state-of-thescience” papers that discuss key findings 

and knowledge gaps in marine debris 

research and operations. 

Understanding 

the impacts of 

plastics, especially 

microplastics, on the 

marine environment 

is crucial to seeking 

solutions to reduce 

and prevent plastic 

debris.

RESEARCH
17

UNMANNED 

AIRCRAFT SYSTEM

One of the primary challenges of 

research on at-sea debris is detecting 

and quantifying widely dispersed open 

ocean debris. Once the debris comes 

ashore, it can become concentrated on 

“catcher” beaches that are inaccessible 

or inhabited by protected species, 

posing further challenges in access and 

detection. 

The NOAA MDP cooperated with the 

NOAA UAS Program, NOAA National 

Environmental Satellite, Data, and 

Information Service, and the University 

of Alaska at Fairbanks on a project to 

evaluate the potential for use of small 

UAS in detecting debris, including 

surveys both at-sea and on shore. As 

part of this project, NOAA conducted 

field testing of a UAS on the Olympic 

Coast of Washington in June 2013. 

The mission had three elements; a 

primary seabird survey, shoreline debris 

detection, and targeted offshore debris 

survey. Post-processing of the data is 

ongoing, but initial results showed low 

debris densities offshore and pockets 

of higher debris density at “catcher” 

beaches onshore. These onshore results 

will be “groundtruthed” using field 

observations from shoreline survey 

teams, allowing for a clear analysis of the 

UAS’ effectiveness. 

An unmanned aircraft system flies 

over the Olympic Coast taking highdefinition images of seabirds and 

shoreline debris. 

OLYMPIC COAST, WASHINGTON
2013 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT

MARINE DEBRIS 

MONITORING AND 

ASSESSMENT PROJECT 

(MD-MAP)

Over the last year, the NOAA MDP 

has increased the number of partner 

organizations monitoring and assessing 

shoreline sites as part of the MD-MAP, 

focusing efforts on regions impacted 

by Japan tsunami marine debris. The 

MD-MAP surpassed 150 monitoring sites 

in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, 

Oregon, California, and Hawaii, and the 

program is expanding to other states, 

starting with Virginia.

Through the project, the NOAA MDP 

collects baseline data that will help 

identify targets for mitigation, evaluate 

the effectiveness of marine debris 

prevention efforts, and determine 

marine debris impacts on the marine 

environment. Survey data and photos are 

placed in an online database, developed 

this year, to facilitate data analysis and 

regional comparisons of debris types, 

abundances, and trends. 

DERELICT CRAB 

TRAP RESEARCH

In order to better understand the 

derelict fishing gear problem, the 

NOAA MDP has supported multiple 

research efforts to measure and address 

the impacts of derelict crab traps in 

Alaska’s Dungeness crab fisheries. In 

2013, a NOAA MDP funded project at 

NOAA’s Auke Bay Labs to test escape 

mechanisms on Dungeness crab traps via 

lab experiments concluded. Investigators 

used results from a previous study 

showing metal fatigue as a main factor 

interfering with proper trap opening and 

developed a project to mitigate it. The 

NOAA MDP and partners will now move 

forward with testing biodegradable 

panels in the field. This research could 

lessen the impact of a Dungeness crab 

trap once it becomes derelict.

Traps may stay in 

the environment 

for six or more 

years before 

breaking down due 

to the cold water 

temperatures.

Siuslaw Surfrider volunteers measure a 

beach transect along the shoreline as 

part of the Marine Debris Monitoring 

and Assessment Project.

FLORENCE, OREGON
19

OUTREACH 

& EDUCATION

The NOAA MDP strives to change 

behavior every day to reduce and 

prevent marine debris through outreach 

and education. In the past year, the 

NOAA MDP participated in events 

nationwide to spread the word about the 

impacts of marine debris and how local 

communities and individuals can help be 

part of the solution. In 2014, the NOAA 

MDP looks forward to expand outreach 

and education and initiative through 

new partnerships and initiatives. 

PREVENTING DEBRIS 

THROUGH OUTREACH 

& EDUCATION

48 outreach events attended globally

people reached 

at events

3,765+ facebook likes

2,996+ twitter followers

3,360+

outreach & education social media

74,400+ blog

views

Volunteers collect fishing nets and 

consumer debris along the shoreline in 

the Gulf of Mexico region.

FAIRHOPE, ALABAMA
2013 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT

As part of a digital outreach partnership, 

the NOAA MDP supported Ocean 

Conservancy, a national non-profit group 

advocating for healthy oceans, to reach 

beyond the one-day-a-year cleanup 

and started a year-round movement, 

developing a Do-It-Yourself Cleanup 

Kit, a new mobile application, Rippl, 

and on-going campaigns encouraging 

prevention. Keep the Coast Clear, a 

website developed early on in the 

partnership, allows Ocean Conservancy 

to direct visitors to clear actions to 

prevent marine debris. As part of this 

site, Ocean Conservancy launched the 

award-winning Trash-Free Challenge, 

a movement designed to reduce the 

amount of trash we all create. 

DIGITAL OUTREAH 

PARTNERSHIP

Rippl is a free mobile 

application that delivers 

weekly living green 

tips to nearly 12,000 

active users who want 

to improve their daily 

habits to improve our 

ocean and waterways. 

Artwork from the annual “Keep the Sea 

Free of Debris!” art contest serves as an 

outreach and educational tool. Each year 

students in K-8 grades submit artwork 

showing the impact of marine debris 

on the ocean environment. In 2013, the 

NOAA MDP received more than 600 art 

entries from 21 states across the U.S. 

13 winners will be featured in the 2014 

Marine Debris Calendar.

2013 “KEEP THE SEA 

FREE OF DEBRIS!” 

ART CONTEST

Artwork by 2013 “Keep the Sea Free of 

Debris!” art contest finalist, Lindsey B., 

Grade 6, from North Carolina.
21

JAPAN TSUNAMI 

MARINE DEBRIS

The NOAA MDP’s response to marine 

debris from the 2011 Japan earthquake 

and tsunami arriving on U.S. shores 

stretched into the 2013 fiscal year. As 

work continued in the states on regional 

response plans and cleanup, winter 

ushered in two major events that spurred 

activity for the program: a $5 million gift 

from Japan and a second dock landing 

on U.S. coasts. 

FUNDING TO STATES

In December 2012, the Government of 

Japan gifted $5 million to the United 

States, through the NOAA MDP, to 

support debris cleanup and response 

activities. The NOAA MDP distributed 

funds to states through formal 

agreements, providing an initial $250,000 

each to Alaska, Washington, Oregon, 

California, and Hawai’i.

OLYMPIC COAST 

DOCK REMOVAL

The significant amount of planning 

federal, state, and local agencies 

conducted in Washington paid off, when 

a 70-foot concrete and Styrofoam dock 

from Japan was spotted off the coast 

in December 2012. Federal and state 

agencies and Indian Tribes responded 

to the dock sighting quickly and 

collaboratively. NOAA coordinated the 

response with the state and other federal 

agencies, while providing trajectories 

to estimate the dock’s movement and 

possible landfall. 

After the dock washed up on a rugged 

Olympic Coast shoreline, the NOAA 

MDP and partners in the National Park 

Service, Olympic Coast National Marine 

Sanctuary, and state agencies quickly set 

out to assess it and put a removal plan 

in motion. With critical and generous 

financial support from the Government 

of Japan, National Park Service, and 

NOAA, Olympic Coast National Marine 

Sanctuary contracted with the Undersea 

Company from Port Townsend, which 

cut the dock in place and removed all 

pieces by helicopter, completing the 

removal safely by March 2013. The dock’s 

timely removal eliminated a substantial 

safety and environmental risk, restoring a 

remote and protected area to its natural 

state.

SANDY MARINE 

DEBRIS RESPONSE

During the 2012 hurricane season, Sandy 

inflicted severe damage to communities 

and coastal resources over large areas of 

the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states, 

depositing huge amounts of debris in 

coastal waters and along shorelines. 

This debris poses hazards to navigation, 

commercial fishing grounds, and 

sensitive ecosystems. 

After the initial emergency response, 

the NOAA MDP pulled together state 

and local agencies in impacted states 

to determine needs, coordinate debris 

response activities, and begin initial 

assessments. The program worked with 

partners to develop a model showing 

areas where debris had most likely 

accumulated and analyzed sonar and 

LiDAR survey data to find submerged 

debris. 

In the Disaster Relief Appropriations 

Act of 2013, Congress provided the 

program with $4.75 million to locate 

and potentially remove the marine 

debris Sandy generated. The program 

will continue activities in FY14 with a 

combination of aerial, underwater, and 

shoreline surveys necessary to assess the 

quantity and location of marine debris 

in the impacted coastal areas. These 

assessments will allow NOAA to estimate 

the debris’ impacts to economies and 

ecosystems, identify priority items for 

removal, develop best removal practices, 

and support limited removal efforts.

SEVERE MARINE

DEBRIS EVENTS
2013 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT

CLALLAM, WASHINGTON

GALLOWAY, NEW JERSEY

A worker uses a 30% bleach spray 

to decontaminate and reduce the 

spread of possible marine invasive 

species on the Japanese dock which 

made landfall on Washington’s 

Olympic Peninsula.

Aerial view of debris left by Sandy at 

Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife 

Refuge. 
23

Ocean Conservancy leads the annual 

International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) effort. 

The NOAA MDP has supported the ICC 

since the program’s inception, and this 

year marks eight years of dedication to 

cleaner waterways.

For the 2013 ICC, the NOAA MDP 

coordinated NOAA-staffed clean-up 

sites in Hawaii, Washington, California, 

Alabama, and Washington, DC. 

OCEAN CONSERVANCY

PARTNERSHIPS

FISHING FOR ENERGY

Fishing for Energy is an innovative 

public-private partnership between 

the NOAA MDP, the National Fish and 

Wildlife Foundation, Schnitzer Steel and 

Covanta Energy designed to provide 

commercial fisherman a cost-free way 

to recycle old and unusable fishing 

gear. Schnitzer Steel collects gear and 

recycles any metal, and transports the 

remaining gear to Covanta facilities, 

where it is converted into energy. Since 

launching in 2008, Fishing for Energy has 

processed more than 2.2 million pounds 

of old fishing gear from 44 ports across 

the nation, a portion of which has been 

retrieved directly from the ocean by 

fishers. This year, the partnership added 

Martha’s Vineyard, MA and Miami – Port 

Everglades, FL to its port list.

In August 2013, partners in the Fishing 

for Energy initiative gathered at Covanta 

Energy-from-Waste facility in Haverhill, 

MA to celebrate a significant milestone: 

the facility has turned more than 300,000 

pounds of derelict fishing gear into 

renewable electricity.
2013 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT

The Sea Research Foundation to 

educate teen audiences in Connecticut 

about marine debris and provide 

opportunities for the teens to share 

their work on marine debris with 

peers through the “Teen Marine Debris 

Initiative.”

Oregon State University to create a 

comprehensive marine debris curriculum 

and hands-on activities for Oregon’s 4th12th grade students.

Anchorage Museum Association to 

create an exhibit that informs visitors 

about marine plastics through science 

and art using marine debris collected off 

the Alaskan coast. 

Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation

to provide California’s K-12 teachers with 

an in-depth overview of marine debris 

problems and solutions, along with tools 

for integrating marine debris lessons into 

classrooms through three ocean plastic 

pollution summits for teachers. 

Ocean Conservancy to expand the 

educational and outreach components 

of Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free 

Seas initiative and increase hands-on 

experiential learning activities. 

Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean

to educate youth on marine debris 

at schools and dockside locations on 

the East and West Coasts with camps, 

museums, community centers and 

waterfront organizations, using a 

remotely operated vehicle and STEMeducation curriculum and activities. 

University of Georgia to conduct 

shoreline surveys and cleanups with 

students and use the data to educate the 

general public, students, and teachers 

in North Carolina, South Carolina, and 

Georgia on marine debris; the project 

leads will also develop a traveling 

museum exhibit. 

Florida Fish and Wildlife 

Conservation Commission to launch a 

campaign focusing on behavior change, 

based on 10 years of research, on the 

environmental impacts of lost traps from 

South Florida’s lobster fishery. 

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2014

Regents of the University of 

California, Davis to explore how 

microplastics contaminated with 

absorbed chemicals impact species that 

ingest them, as well as the likelihood of 

microplastic particles and chemicals to 

be transferred to a higher trophic level. 

Sea Education Association to 

explore how animal behavior influences 

the ingestion of potentially harmful 

microplastic particles.

Virginia Institute of Marine Science

to determine which factors, such as 

temperature and pH, are important 

influences on the way chemicals and 

plastics interact in the environment. 

The NOAA MDP is looking forward to launching 11 new outreach and education and research 

intiatives in FY14. Here is a look at the year ahead:

OUTREACH

& EDUCATION RESEARCH
25

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Director, NOAA Marine Debris 

Program

Nancy Wallace

Deputy Director, NOAA Marine 

Debris Program 

Alison Hammer-Weingast 

Communications

Leah Henry

Asma Mahdi

Dianna Parker

Regional Coordinators

Kimberly Albins

Nir Barnea

Andrea Kealoha

Kyle Koyanagi

Sherry Lippiatt

Peter Murphy

Sarah Opfer

Jason Rolfe

Research Coordinators

Courtney Arthur

Jason Landrum

Photo Credits

1. Peter Murphy, NOAA MDP (Cover, top)

2. Northwest Straits Foundation (Cover, bottom left)

3. NOAA MDP, art contest finalist (Cover, bottom right)

4. Steven Siegel/Marine Photobank (Pg. 3)

5. Kimberly Albins, NOAA MDP (Pg. 4)

6. Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (Pg. 6)

7. Sarah Opfer, NOAA MDP (Pg. 7)

8. Kimberly Albins, NOAA MDP (Pg. 9)

9. Peter Murphy, NOAA MDP (Pg. 10)

10 Peter Murphy, NOAA MDP (Pg. 11)

11. Unified Port of San Diego (Pg. 12)

12. NOAA PIFSC CRED (Pg. 14)

13. NOAA MDP (Pg. 15)

14. NOAA, Olympic Coast NMS (Pg. 17)

15. Siuslaw Surfrider (Pg. 18)

16. Kimberly Albins, NOAA MDP (Pg. 19)

12. NOAA MDP, art contest finalist (Pg. 20)

12. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Pg. 22)

13. Allen Pleus, Washington Department of 

 Fish and Wildlife (Pg. 22)

For more information on the NOAA 

Marine Debris Progam, visit: 

www.MarineDebris.noaa.gov
Penny Pritzker

Secretary, 

U.S. Department of Commerce

Kathryn D, Sullivan, Ph.D

Acting U.S. Under Secretary of 

Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere

Holly Bamford, Ph.D

Assistant Administrator, 

NOAA’s National Ocean Service