Marine Debris - is everyone's problem - Sailors for the Sea

Marine Debris – is everyone’s problem

 December 11, 2013  | By: Oceana

Last December, Congress passed legislation reauthorizing the NOAA Marine Debris Program. The new act preserved the program’s mandates to research, prevent, reduce, and remove marine debris, and added a new core function: addressing severe marine debris events, such as a Tsunami or Hurricane.

What does this mean for boaters?

The combined focus on removal of large debris items and educating people about marine debris should mean less trash in the water!

In 2013, NOAA supported a project in each region of the United States that removed large objects. Such as the removal of large nets in Florida around popular diving and fishing grounds, that could easily snarl your prop, or derelict, unmarked boats sitting in San Diego harbor that could damage your keel. These removals tend to be costly and can require professional resources, so it is great to see this kind of attention being given to our waterways.

Education highlights include an art contest for children with the theme “Keep the sea free of debris!” (pictured above)  and the creation of a new app from Ocean Conservancy called Rippl. Both projects instill the idea of reducing the use of single-use disposable items such as take out containers or plastic bags to reduce marine debris, which we could not agree with more!

To learn more about the NOAA Marine Debris project visit: http://marinedebris.noaa.gov