About the Program
Gulf of Mexico Marine Debris Mapping Project
During the 2005 hurricane season, hurricanes Katrina and Rita inflicted severe damage on the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) coastal region, and deposited extensive amounts of debris over various areas of the Gulf coast. Submerged marine debris poses a hazard to vessel traffic and can adversely affect commercially viable fishing grounds. To address the submerged debris problem, Congress appropriated funds to survey areas potentially affected by submerged marine debris, tasking NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey and Office of Response and Restoration to conduct the surveys, compile and disseminate data in an effective and useable format, conduct marine debris risk assessments, and carry out other outreach activities specific to this project.
One of the key elements of this project is to ensure the states fishing communities and public are aware of survey planning, progress and findings. NOAA’s Marine Debris Program (MDP) will build a strong public outreach program to develop methods of disseminating survey and debris risk assessment results in a useful and effective manner. A Web site is being developed to provide easily accessible information to anyone with an interest in the findings of the surveys and who have access to the Internet.
Find out more about this project by visiting the website
-OR-
View the one pager for this project
This project is housed within NOAA's Ocean Service, Office of Response and Restoration and Office of Coast Survey.
