Large-scale marine debris: 4 ways to clean up the big stuff

What happened

Beginning in 2013, NOAA and its partners began to take on the removal of larger-scale marine debris that is beyond what is considered typical — this contains the removal of abandoned vessels, barges, piers, and other debris that can remain in the environment for decades. A freediver from the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project works to carefully remove a ghost net from the reef at Kamokuokamohoali‘i (Maro Reef) in Hawaii.

Across the country, NOAA and partners remove everything from lost fishing gear tangled on the seafloor to sunken vessels, abandoned tire reefs , and other trash that have become hazards to navigation and marine ecosystems in the ocean and Great Lakes. Doing so improves vessel navigation, provides support for the fishing and tourism economy, helps communities recover from disasters, and prioritizes productive and safe shorelines and waterways across the United States. To date, more than 50 million pounds of large-scale marine debris has been taken out of marine environments.

Key facts

• Doing so improves vessel navigation, — support: the fishing and tourism economy, helps communities recover from disasters, and prioritizes productive and safe shorelines and waterways across the United States