Saving Seafood

Collaborative effort produces a new marine debris action plan for Washington

September 7, 2018 — Trash on our shorelines and in the ocean, also known as marine debris, is a persistent and growing global environmental issue. A lot is at stake particularly in Washington State, where outdoor recreation, shellfish harvests and aquaculture, and commercial, tribal and recreational fisheries are all economically and culturally significant. Marine debris interferes with the health of these important marine resources. Today September 5, 2018, local organizations and agencies released a marine debris action plan for the state, the result of a year-long collaborative process facilitated by NOAA’s Marine Debris Program.

The plan will facilitate and track actions that prevent and reduce marine debris throughout Washington, including Puget Sound, the Northwest Straits, Washington’s Pacific Coast, the Columbia River estuary and inland sources. To create the plan, 66 representatives from more than 40 entities participated in two workshops to compile and review current efforts, identify strategic gaps and recommend future actions. NOAA’s Marine Debris Program supported the effort by convening the planning committee, organizing and hosting the workshops and engaging the planning committee.

Read the full story at the San Juan Islander

Plastic-eating Microbes Won’t Solve Our Ocean Debris Problem

April 24, 2018 — Japanese scientists announced this past week that they had not only discovered bacteria that naturally digest the PET plastic used to make many water bottles, they had also genetically modified them to make them better at breaking down plastic. Headlines made it seem like our plastic pollution woes were over.

The world produces more than 40 million metric tons of PET plastic every year and, here in the U.S., less than a third of that gets recycled. At the same time, the amount of plastic floating around in the ocean is growing.

But Ramani Narayan, a university distinguished professor in chemical engineering and materials science at Michigan State University, says that touting plastic-eating bacteria as the solution misses the point.

“It is implied that the technology to break down this PET plastic and similar plastics, is the bottleneck in managing PET waste. And that this new enzyme is the breakthrough we have been waiting for,” Narayan said.

Read the full story at WCAI

 

Marine debris threatens Hawaii’s ecosystem, but collecting it can get complicated

February 15, 2018 — Marine debris continues to litter our beaches, and more of it is on the way if our current weather patterns continue.

Nets, floaters, and other rubbish aren’t just ugly and dangerous to marine life.

They hide small organisms and creatures that could harm our fragile shorelines.

Scott Godwin works with the Hawaii Department of Land and National Resources Division of Aquatics Resources Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) team. He’s been studying invasive species and marine debris for more than 15 years.

“There’s a lot of stuff out there all the time,” Godwin said, “and Hawaii seems to be in the right place to get that stuff just because of the oceanographic conditions.”

He explained that the current winds and currents have simply been washing debris onshore that would normally otherwise float by the islands and go unnoticed.

The debris poses many dangers. Marine mammals and fish get tangled in floating masses of nets and die.

Read and watch the full story at KHON2

 

Now Open: NOAA Marine Debris Prevention Grant Opportunity for 2018

September 11, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to announce our Marine Debris Prevention federal funding opportunity.

The Marine Debris Program offers funding that supports locally driven, community-based marine debris prevention and removal projects. These projects benefit coastal habitat, waterways, and wildlife including migratory fish.

This opportunity provides funding to support eligible organizations for activities to prevent the introduction of marine debris into the marine and coastal environment. Applicants requesting funding for projects to address a specific marine debris issue, and that will actively engage these groups in hands-on personal participation, are welcome to apply. Projects focused on efforts to prevent marine debris from entering the environment through targeted behavior change will be given priority.

To apply for marine debris prevention funding through this opportunity, applicants must first submit a Letter of Intent (LOI), via email, to grants.marinedebris@noaa.gov.

The deadline for LOI submission is September 28. After NOAA reviews all submitted LOIs, only those invited to submit a full proposal will be considered for funding.

Applicants will be notified by November 1 if they have been invited to submit a full proposal.

Questions? Contact marinedebris.web@noaa.gov.