NOAA MARINE DEBRIS PROGRAM OVERVIEW FY08

Research & Response

• Plastics Research Workshop 

This workshop is slated for September 9-11 in Tacoma, WA and will focus on the 

interaction of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) with small plastic fragments in 

the ocean. Topics to be covered in this workshop include the occurrence, sources 

and impacts of microplastics, the impacts of microplastic exposure to persistent 

organic pollutants, and the effect of oceanic microplastics on biogeochemical 

cycling of POPs.

• NOAA Marine Debris Grants

The MDP has funded over 30 projects to advance research, assess impacts, and 

investigate prevention of marine debris around the country.

• Gulf of Mexico Marine Debris Project – year two

To address marine debris impacts from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Congress 

appropriated funds to NOAA in the summer of 2006 to survey for marine debris 

in impacted areas outside navigation channels, map survey results, support 

removal efforts, and disseminate information to the public. Side scan survey and 

mapping work was conducted in Alabama, Mississippi, and part of Louisiana, and 

was completed in the fall of 2007. In the summer of 2007 Congress appropriated 

additional funding to continue surveying, mapping, and information dissemination 

in Louisiana to support marine debris removal. Under this appropriation, NOAA’s 

Office of Coast Survey will conduct side scan survey in search of marine debris 

objects in offshore Louisiana waters, and NOAA's Marine Debris Program will 

map the survey results and present them, along with other useful information, on 

the project website. Work on this project (referred to by NOAA as the Second 

Supplemental) is now in full swing. NOAA MDP Gulf of Mexico Marine Debris 

Project provides a full-time person in the USCG command post, to facilitate 

project communication and execution. NOAA works closely with OCS and with 

the US Coast Guard, FEMA, and the State of Louisiana to provide products in 

support of marine debris removal and ultimately, restoration of fishing grounds

and elimination of navigation hazards.

Coordination & Information Exchange

• Marine Debris Information Forum

The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) held its first Information Forum in 

Bethesda, Maryland during the week of April 1-3, 2008. This Forum, attended by 

approximately 130 people, brought together Principal Investigators from projects 

funded by the MDP over the past three years within NOAA and through its 
competitive grants programs through the NOAA Restoration Center and National 

Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The Forum highlighted 31 presentations within six 

sessions and covered a wide-range of activities from debris assessments in 

deepwater habitats to coastal marsh, and different methods for assessing the 

impacts of derelict fishing gear.

Session topics included: Marine Debris Mapping, Identification and Monitoring; 

Marine Debris Removal Techniques; Marine Debris Impacts; Marine Debris 

Prevention; Marine Debris Emergency Response; and Marine Debris Outreach, 

Communication and Coordination. A concurrent poster session had 14 entries.

The MDP plans to hold this type of Forum every two years to increase 

information exchange among researchers, and removal, outreach and prevention 

experts; and to move the MDP forward in addressing the persistent problem of 

marine debris.

• Regional Marine Debris Workshops

Regional workshops to bring together NOAA-funded marine debris project principal 

investigators and interested parties began in January of 2008

These workshops address current marine debris removal efforts in each region and 

include the sharing of knowledge about the politics, economics and science of marine 

debris pertinent to their respective regional areas.

• Northwest Pacific Action Plan, Marine Environmental Emergency 

Preparedness and Response Regional Activity (NOWPAP MERRAC)

The Marine Debris Program has been working with the Korea Ocean Research & 

Development Institute to create a partnership focusing on the sharing of ideas and 

programs to address marine debris between the US and Korea. This partnership 

includes site visits for staffs of both agencies to experience successful projects 

such as the Nets to Energy Program in Hawaii and a fishing gear buy-back 

incentive program in Korea. Two representatives from NOWPAP MERRAC also 

attended the NOAA Marine Debris Information Forum held in early April.

• Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee Report to Congress

The passing of the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act reestablished the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee (IMDCC), 

which includes 11 Federal agencies (NOAA is the chair) responsible for 

developing and recommending comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approaches 

to reduce the sources and impacts of marine debris to the nation’s marine 

environment, natural resources, public safety, and economy. The IMDCC was 

tasked with developing a Report to Congress that identifies sources of marine 

debris; the ecological and economic impact of marine debris; alternatives for 

reducing, mitigating, preventing, and controlling the harmful affects of marine 

debris; and recommendations to reduce marine debris both domestically and 

internationally. This Report will be completed in May 2008.
Partnership & Outreach

• NOAA/NFWF/Covanta Energy Partnership

The Fishing for Energy Project is a partnership between the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, the National Fish 

and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), and Covanta Energy Corporation, to reduce the 

amount of unused fishing gear in the community and marine environment. The 

project provides a place for the fishing community to dispose of old or derelict 

fishing gear they recover while at sea at no cost. New Bedford, Mass. was the 

first port on the eastern seaboard to launch the Fishing for Energy program.

• Keep Oceans Clean Alliance – PSA release with Ariel’s Beginnings

NOAA and The Walt Disney Company, along with the Ad Council, National 

Marine Sanctuaries Foundation, Department of Interior and Environmental 

Defense, have once again entered into a partnership to form the “Keep Oceans 

Clean Alliance” through the release of the prequel to the popular Disney movie

The Little Mermaid. The project will utilize the characters of the new movie 

Ariel’s Beginnings to provide a central focus on the importance of keeping our 

oceans clean of marine debris by putting trash in its proper place, using reusable 

items and recycling. The campaign includes DVD inserts with specially produced 

educational information, billboard, radio and television public service 

announcements, as well as an updated website and video game 

(www.KeepOceansClean.org).

• Beyond the International Coastal Cleanup

The NOAA Marine Debris Program has valued Ocean Conservancy as a key 

partner since 2005, contributing annually to the International Coastal Cleanup 

(ICC) Event and Conference. The MDP has been directly involved in organizing 

NOAA-wide cleanups in conjunction with the ICC and provides resources and 

products available through the Marine Debris 101 site to help the ICC achieve its 

mission: "A Day at the Beach becomes a Year-Round Movement". The MDP is 

planning to seek further partnership opportunities with this organization whose 

influence and impact continues to expand and broaden.