2019 Hurricane Response Marine Debris Removal Fund Awards

4 years 4 months ago
2019 Hurricane Response Marine Debris Removal Fund Awards Posted Mon, 03/09/2020 - 13:17

Following a competitive review process, the NOAA Marine Debris Program and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation are pleased to announce the six recipients of the 2019 Hurricane Response Marine Debris Removal Fund. The funds will go to coastal states and territories impacted by Hurricanes Florence and Michael, and Typhoon Yutu, totaling approximately $8.2 million in federal funds. Federal funding is supplemented by grantee matching contributions, bringing the total investment of these marine debris projects to approximately $8.6 million.

Tags emergency response Florida Southeast Pacific Islands
jennifer.simms

Teaming Up to Keep Mardi Gras Crazy Fun & Crazy Clean!

4 years 5 months ago
Teaming Up to Keep Mardi Gras Crazy Fun & Crazy Clean! jennifer.simms Wed, 02/19/2020 - 09:16

Mardi Gras season is one of the south’s most anticipated traditions, with costumes, beads, parades, and balls, the Mississippi Gulf Coast is alive with festivities. Unfortunately, these beloved celebrations leave behind large amounts of trash that takes days to pick up. Debris that is left in streets and on sidewalks can be blown or washed into storm drains, causing blockage that increases flooding, or into the local environment creating a hazard to wildlife.

Tags prevention holiday Gulf of Mexico
jennifer.simms

50 Years Later: Clearing Tires from Cocos Lagoon

4 years 5 months ago
50 Years Later: Clearing Tires from Cocos Lagoon jennifer.simms Thu, 02/13/2020 - 15:56

In 1969, a team of Guam fisheries scientists decided to install an artificial tire reef within Cocos Lagoon as a way to reuse old rubber tires. The experiment was intended to increase fish stocks at two different areas within the lagoon. However, after four years of close monitoring, the scientists decided to discontinue the project since it did not demonstrably improve fish stocks as intended. Over fifty years later, the tire reef still sits on the bottom of the lagoon.

Tags removal Pacific Islands
jennifer.simms

Connected by the Sea and Combating Debris in the Pacific

4 years 5 months ago
Connected by the Sea and Combating Debris in the Pacific Posted Thu, 02/13/2020 - 15:39

The Pacific Ocean bonds and connects many islands and people throughout the region. These communities share in the art and science of traditional navigation, which has fostered an intimate attachment to the ocean over many generations. Today, these island communities also share in the struggle of mitigating marine debris as they work to protect the ocean.

Tags removal prevention outreach ADVs research Pacific Islands
jennifer.simms

Connected by the Sea and Combating Debris in the Pacific

4 years 5 months ago
Connected by the Sea and Combating Debris in the Pacific Posted Thu, 02/13/2020 - 15:39

The Pacific Ocean bonds and connects many islands and people throughout the region. These communities share in the art and science of traditional navigation, which has fostered an intimate attachment to the ocean over many generations. Today, these island communities also share in the struggle of mitigating marine debris as they work to protect the ocean.

Tags removal prevention outreach ADVs research Pacific Islands
jennifer.simms

Removing Marine Debris in New York’s Jamaica Bay Salt Marshes

4 years 5 months ago
Removing Marine Debris in New York’s Jamaica Bay Salt Marshes Posted Fri, 01/31/2020 - 07:39

Spanning over 18,000 acres, Jamaica Bay is one of New York City’s unique estuaries for conservation, as well as urban recreation. The Bay is almost equal to the size of Manhattan and is surrounded by the Rockaway Peninsula to the South, Brooklyn to the West, and Queens to the East. Abandoned boats and other mid- to large-scale debris are scattered throughout the Bay.

Tags Mid-Atlantic removal
jennifer.simms

Removing Derelict Fishing Gear Across the Mid-Atlantic Region

4 years 5 months ago
Removing Derelict Fishing Gear Across the Mid-Atlantic Region Posted Fri, 01/31/2020 - 07:05

The NOAA Marine Debris Program’s Mid-Atlantic region spans the states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia, and is home to the largest estuary in the United States, the Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately, derelict fishing gear and lost crab pots can threaten these important resources by continuing to capture and kill wildlife, damage sensitive habitats, and even compete with and damage active fishing gear.

Tags removal Mid-Atlantic
jennifer.simms

Sittin’ on the Dock of a Cleaner Richardson’s Bay

4 years 6 months ago
Sittin’ on the Dock of a Cleaner Richardson’s Bay Posted Mon, 01/27/2020 - 10:29

In 1967, soul singer Otis Redding wrote the hit song (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay while visiting a friend’s houseboat on Richardson’s Bay, an inlet on the northern portion of San Francisco Bay near the City of Sausalito. To this day, the area surrounding Richardson’s Bay has an eccentric bohemian vibe and is home to a melting pot of residents who share a historic maritime culture that started with the shipbuilding industry moving in during World War II.

Tags California removal
jennifer.simms

Source-to-Sea, Addressing Marine Debris in California

4 years 6 months ago
Source-to-Sea, Addressing Marine Debris in California Posted Mon, 01/27/2020 - 10:02

California is home to 12% of the nation’s population, with 26 million people living in counties along its 3,427 mile coastline. The average American generates an average of 4.5 lbs of trash per day (EPA estimate as of 2017) multiplied by 26 million people, that's 117,000,000 lbs of trash generated just from California's coastal population for one day! Inevitably some portion of that waste is littered, lost, or “leaked” through waste management and can eventually reach California’s coastal ocean and become marine debris.

Tags California research removal prevention
jennifer.simms