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NOAA's Marine Debris Program
Overview of the NOAA Marine Debris Program
The NOAA Marine Debris Program is committed to identifying, removing, reducing, and preventing debris in the marine environment, on a national and an international level. The Program has identified strategies to address marine debris:
- Source Identification
- Monitoring
- Research and Information Transfer
- Reduction through Removal
- Prevention, including Education and Outreach
- Emergency Response
History and Background
From 1985 to 1996, NOAA administered the Marine Entanglement Research Program, a marine debris research and management program that was created in response to growing public concern over the impacts of marine debris on wildlife. Since then, NOAA has continued to support marine debris clean-up and prevention activities, such as the debris assessment and removal project in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, the use of satellite and aerial remote sensing to locate and track oceanographic features likely to accumulate floating marine debris, and support for the development and testing protocols for removing derelict fishing gear from coastal waters.
In 2005, Congress appropriated funds to re-establish a centralized marine debris capability within NOAA to organize, strengthen, and increase the visibility of the marine debris efforts within the agency. By doing this, NOAA hopes to shed light on and better understand the sources and impacts of marine debris to our oceans and coasts, and contribute to developing the solutions.
For more information
Visit the Program's site for more information. |
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