An official website of the United States government. 
The University of Alaska Fairbanks is working with partners to establish a Center for Marine Debris in Alaska, to support targeted marine debris removal projects and ongoing collection, monitoring, transport, recycling, and recovery.
Type of Project: Removal
Funding Provided: $5,850,000
Total Project Amount: $5,850,000
Region: Alaska
Project Dates: January 2023 - June 2026
Who is involved?
The University of Alaska Fairbanks, with funding from the NOAA Marine Debris Program through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, is leading a consortium of groups to establish a Center for Marine Debris in Alaska. The Center, co-led by Alaska Sea Grant and the Ocean Plastics Recovery Project, will provide capacity to the marine debris community across the State of Alaska, with a specific focus on disposal. Initial field projects include cleanups led by the Douglas Indian Association and Ocean Plastics Recovery Project, derelict fishing gear surveys led by the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island, and removal and disposal of legacy debris from the Native Village of Port Heiden.
What is the project and why is it important?
There is an active and dedicated marine debris community across Alaska. Many of these groups have been working on the issue for years, gaining valuable experience and insight. This community is continuing to grow as new organizations take on marine debris and the consistent challenges that are unique to Alaska.
In order to address these challenges, the University of Alaska Fairbanks is working with partners to establish a long-term Center for Marine Debris based in Alaska. This Center, a collaborative effort with Alaska Sea Grant and the Ocean Plastics Recovery Project, will facilitate and support targeted removal operations. The Center will also serve the identified and emergent needs of the marine debris community across the state, including debris collection, monitoring, analysis, transport, and disposal. This work will support groups in identifying and implementing optimal disposal approaches, including recycling and the necessary sorting and processing steps for each recycling technology. Additionally, the Center will provide both guidance and direct capacity for debris processing at facilities in Alaska.
The Center will also directly support the assessment and removal of marine debris. Four projects across Alaska will assess, remove, or dispose of debris from a variety of habitats. In Juneau, the Douglas Indian Association will tag and remove derelict crab pots from the Gastineau Channel. On St. Paul Island, the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island will conduct sonar surveys to identify and quantify legacy derelict crab pots that pose a significant and longstanding concern for the local community. In the Native Village of Port Heiden, previously collected debris will be shipped and processed through the Center in Alaska. On Kayak Island, the Ocean Plastics Recovery Project will lead a project to collect and remove debris on high-accumulation and high energy shorelines.
In September 2024, this project announced $1.2 million in federal funding for six marine debris removal awards selected under the 2024 Community Marine Debris Removal Grant Program. These subawards align with the priorities of the region and support the draft Alaska Marine Debris Action Plan. These projects will remove and dispose of marine debris and conduct community-focused education and outreach activities in order to provide tangible benefits to coastal and marine habitats, communities, and economies across Alaska. The selected projects are:
Chevak (West Alaska)
The City of Chevak ($200,000) will remove marine debris in Chevak washed ashore by Typhoon Merbok in September 2022. The storm caused massive damage to subsistence gear and fish camps, exacerbated riverbank erosion, and washed boats, motors, fishing gear, and pieces of driftwood onto the tundra, leaving marine debris littered across the land surrounding the community. This project will ensure the safety of Chevak residents and protect the local environment that they rely on by hiring local workers to collect and remove this marine debris.
Cordova (South Central Alaska, Prince William Sound)
Drifters Fish ($199,796) will remove marine debris from the Copper River Delta Barrier Islands through a community effort led by members of Cordova’s coastal fishing fleet. This region is a complex ecosystem that supports a diverse food chain including Sockeye, Chinook, Coho, and Eulachon that provide economic and cultural significance to the commercial and subsistence users of Cordova and upper Copper River Delta communities. Drifters Fish will also work with local and regional partners to raise awareness and communicate about marine debris in the region.
Kotlik (West Alaska)
Zender Environmental Health and Research Group ($198,655) will work collaboratively with the community of Kotlik and the Kotlik Tribal Environmental Health Coordinator in support of a community-led marine debris removal effort. The project will clean up marine debris in three high-traffic sites in the community, improve waste management infrastructure, and raise community awareness about the need for proper waste management. Partners will also work with local high school students to bring regional and national awareness about waste management and marine debris challenges and efforts in rural Alaska.
Goodnews Bay (Southwest Alaska)
Native Village of Goodnews Bay ($200,000) will remove marine debris from the beaches and shorelines of Goodnews Bay and the Village of Platinum. Twice a month during summer months, groups will remove debris from both the eastern and western sides of the bay. Community members will organize cleanups and conduct community education efforts to prevent future debris.
Brevig Mission and Wales (Northwest Alaska)
Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation ($200,000) will work with the communities of Brevig Mission and Wales to remove marine debris on over 25 miles of local shoreline. This project will address historical areas with large amounts of marine debris and hire residents as crew members, conducting pre-season assessments to target in-season removal.
Alexander Archipelago (Southeast Alaska)
Zachary Foss ($200,000), the captain and owner of the F/V Axel, will organize fellow commercial fishers to remove marine debris from southern Baranof island, Southwest Kuiu Island, Coronation Island, the west coast of Chichagof Island, and other nearby islands. Additionally, this project will build awareness among commercial fishers in southeast Alaska and engage them in reporting marine debris to an online tool to inform future cleanup efforts.
More information is available on the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Sea Grant website. Additional information about this project is also available on the Marine Debris Program Clearinghouse.