Saving Seafood

NORTH CAROLINA: Coastal cleanup project targets abandoned boats in North Carolina waters

January 21, 2026 — Federal agencies are moving ahead to remove and dispose of 12 abandoned and derelict vessels (ADVs) in four North Carolina counties, including New Hanover County.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation received funding from the BoatUS Foundation as part of a national effort to remove hundreds of ADVs from coastal waterways.

The federation, partnering with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and local governments, will remove ADVs in commercial fishing communities such as Sneads Ferry, Swan Quarter, Engelhard and Carolina Beach.

Read the full article at WECT

BoatUS Foundation launches first national database to track abandoned boats and derelict vessels across the U.S.

November 6, 2025 — The non-profit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water has developed a database that will identify the locations of abandoned and derelict vessels (ADVs) across the U.S., freely associated states, and U.S. territories and track their removal.

Created in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, this national database will allow visitors to report abandoned and derelict vessels on their coastlines, allowing the issue to be better understood on a national scale with the support of the public. Eventually, this database will be able to track the impacts of removal and prevention efforts by showing how the number of ADVs across the country may one day decrease.

Read the full article at Island Free Press