Scuba Dogs Society is gearing up to make a big difference in the fight against marine debris in Puerto Rico. With support from a newly-awarded NOAA Marine Debris Program Community-based Marine Debris Removal grant, this non-profit organization in San Juan, Puerto Rico, will work to remove marine debris from an ecologically important area in the San Juan Bay Estuary. They anticipate removing 10 metric tons of debris from 500 acres of habitat over 12 to 18 cleanups! Their efforts will also focus on the outfall of the Rio Grande de Loiza, a site where there is both an accumulation of debris washed in from upriver, as well as mid- to large-scale debris like home appliances and car parts that are purposefully dumped there. Scuba Dogs Society expects 600 volunteers will contribute 2,400 hours of time to these removal efforts.
Not only will debris be removed from the coasts of Puerto Rico, but Scuba Dogs Society will work to cut it off at its source as well, through outreach and education. Data from the cleanups will be used to highlight the severity of the local marine debris problem for students and community members of Loiza, Puerto Rico. These outreach and education events will encourage community members to become environmental stewards by training some to organize and run more cleanup events and by installing at least five recycling stations throughout the Loiza community.
For more information on this project, visit the project profile page on our website.