By: Nir Barnea, Pacific Northwest Regional Coordinator for the NOAA Marine Debris Program
Marine debris is a big global problem that must be addressed on multiple fronts: outreach to stop littering and encourage better use of products, research to investigate and inform, and of course, removal of marine debris to alleviate its harmful impacts. When it comes to removal, the options range in complexity. The marine debris community is resourceful and creative, and over time has developed a number of innovative removal methods. Since what works for one, could work for the many who may have similar challenges and needs, the NOAA Marine Debris Program has assembled several method overview summaries to facilitate better sharing of innovative techniques for marine debris removal.