Following a competitive review process, the NOAA Marine Debris Program and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation are pleased to announce the five recipients of the 2024 Hurricane Response Marine Debris Removal Fund. The awards will go to Alaska, Florida, and Puerto Rico to address impacts from the 2022 hurricane and typhoon seasons, totaling over $6 million in federal funds. Federal funding is supplemented by voluntary grantee matching contributions, bringing the total investment of these marine debris projects to approximately $6.1 million.
The 2022 hurricane season inflicted severe damage to communities and coastal resources across the states of Alaska, Florida, and Puerto Rico, leaving a swath of destruction and large amounts of debris in coastal areas. This debris poses hazards to navigation, commercial fishing grounds, and sensitive ecosystems.
The supported projects will assess, remove, and dispose of marine debris that was caused by or moved by the storms. This will include work with 19 rural Alaska Native communities to assess and reclaim debris scattered across sensitive tundra habitat by Typhoon Merbok while also supporting coordinated recycling and disposal. Other support will remove debris that remains behind after regular clean-ups in Puerto Rico and Florida, such as vessels and abandoned structures, that pose threats to surrounding habitats from erosion, pollution and human safety concerns. This will prevent further damage to sensitive coastal habitats and species and reduce the impacts of marine debris on properties, community infrastructure, assets of economic importance, and navigation safety. The funded projects are:
City of Chevak, AK ($686,700) will remove, salvage, and properly dispose of 35,000 lbs of Typhoon Merbok marine debris, including boats, motors and fish nets, large amounts of wooden debris, and hazardous materials such as batteries and oil to minimize impact to the environmentally-sensitive tundra wetland, protecting nearby waterways and conserving sensitive habitat.
Zender Environmental Health and Research Group, AK ($3,544,200) will assess and remove Typhoon Merbok marine debris from key habitat and subsistence harvesting areas in 18 Alaska Native communities. The project will conduct community mapping and prioritization of debris, build capacity and efficiency through aerial imagery, provide training and employment for local community members and oversee regional disposal and recycling logistics.
Ding Darling Wildlife Society, FL ($42,700) will remove and dispose of approximately 430 cubic yards of Hurricane Ian debris from Boone Lake on Sanibel Island and replant mangroves to protect and enhance habitat used by manatees and sea turtles.
Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners, FL ($1,000,000) will remove and dispose of up to 4,000 U.S. tons of debris deposited by Hurricane Ian into 37 miles of navigable channels throughout Charlotte County to improve safety and restore flow to assist in preventing future flooding.
University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, PR ($800,000) will remove and dispose of hurricane-generated marine debris from 38 acres of shoreline and nearshore waters in Loiza, Puerto Rico to prepare this area for future restoration projects to increase its resilience to sea level rise and flooding.