A group of people with large bags clean up a grassy area.

North America Marine Debris Prevention and Removal Projects

The projects on this page were funded through the 2020 United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) Implementation Act (P.L. 116-113), which provided the NOAA Marine Debris Program funding to prevent and reduce marine debris in the North American region. Chapter 24 of the USMCA includes specific environmental goals that highlight the need to take action to prevent and reduce marine debris, including plastic litter and microplastics, in order to preserve human health and marine and coastal ecosystems, prevent the loss of biodiversity, and mitigate the costs and impacts of marine debris. These projects were awarded competitively and represent the NOAA Marine Debris Program’s commitment to supporting the USMCA environment goals.

These projects are now closed. View the pages below to learn about the project results:

Active USMCA Projects

Collaborating Across Borders: The North American Net Collection Initiative

Used fishing gear collected in large outdoor piles.
The Ocean Conservancy’s Global Ghost Gear Initiative is coordinating with partners in California and in Mexico to better manage and prevent the loss of fishing gear and launch the North American Net Collection Initiative.

Completed USMCA Projects - Archives

2022

Raising Awareness of Tourism Debris in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Three people carry a large bag down the beach during a cleanup.

Parley Foundation is working in select cities in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico to raise awareness of plastic consumption and engage local businesses in strategies to reduce consumer plastic waste.

Protecting the Vaquita Porpoise in Mexico Through Fishing Net Removal

The dorsal fin of a vaquita coming out of the water as the animal surfaces.

CAT Action Treasury, Inc. and project partners are helping to remove illegal fishing gear in the Upper Gulf of California, Mexico, and building awareness in local communities to better protect the endangered vaquita porpoise.
California

Aventureros Averting Plastics for a Better Baja

Volunteers removing a derelict fishing net from the shoreline.

The Vermilion Sea Institute is expanding the work and research of local youth in the Aventureros educational program to support the Bahía de los Ángeles community in Baja California, Mexico in reducing single-use plastics and waste.

2021

Gulf of America

Implementing a Recycling System in Monterrey, Mexico

A group of people cleanup a creek. The Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey is working with stakeholders across Monterrey, Mexico to design, implement, and operate a recycling program that will improve waste collection and prevent plastic waste dumping and littering.
Gulf of America

Reducing Marine Debris Across the Gulf of America and Mexican Caribbean

A person on a beach carrying a bag full of debris and a small mass of derelict fishing nets. The Parley Foundation is working with coastal communities in the Gulf of America and the Mexican Caribbean to collect and recycle fishing gear, remove debris from marine protected areas, and promote education.
Gulf of America

Expanding Nurdle Patrol Monitoring in the Gulf of America

Nurdle Patrol citizen scientist holding up a small jar full of plastic pellets, or nurdles, collected on the beach.

The University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute is working with partners in Mexico to expand their Nurdle Patrol monitoring project while increasing collaboration among scientists, resource managers, and industry representatives in the Gulf of America.
Alaska

Marine Debris Prevention and Removal in Yakutat, Alaska

A damaged skiff partially buried in the sand. Working with the local community, the City and Borough of Yakutat, Alaska, is removing marine debris from 50 miles of shoreline, and partnering with tribal, federal, and local organizations to conduct initial assessments followed by cleanup and outreach.
Northeast

Regional Collaboration to Address Marine Debris in the Gulf of Maine

A mound of ropes, net, and other fishing gear piled on a rocky shoreline.

Partners across the Gulf of Maine are working together to prevent and remove marine debris by engaging volunteers, local businesses, coastal communities, fishing industries, and environmental justice populations in learning about the impact of marine debris on natural resources and taking action to make a difference.
Pacific Northwest

Salish Synergy: Cross-Border Debris Removal and Recycling

A person with gloves at a table covered in collected marine debris. Through the Salish Synergy project, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and partners are detecting and removing medium- to large-scale marine debris, including derelict fishing gear, along Washington's outer coast and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
California

Reducing Marine Debris in the Lower Tijuana River Watershed

Trash along a muddy riverbed with concrete walls. WILDCOAST reduced ocean-bound single-use plastic waste and other debris by capturing trash in the Tijuana River and through a city-wide campaign to raise awareness, improve infrastructure, and help the region transition away from single-use plastics.
California

A Cross-Border Collaborative: Marine Debris Solutions Across the U.S. and Mexico

Volunteers with orange buckets walking up a dirt road past a pile of old tires. In the Tijuana River Valley, the Southwest Wetlands Interpretive Association and Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve are repurposing and upcycling debris items to prevent and remove marine debris from the Tijuana River watershed and Pacific Ocean.
Great Lakes

Great Lakes Circular Economy Partnership and Plastics Cleanup

A Seabin cleanup device installed in a lake marina. The Council of the Great Lakes Region is working to prevent and reduce plastic debris by expanding the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup program and launching a new binational Great Lakes Circular Economy Partnership to help the Great Lakes create a circular economy.

For citation purposes, unless otherwise noted, this article was authored by the NOAA Marine Debris Program.

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