Sea Grant works closely with communities nationwide and in partnership with the NOAA Marine Debris Program to address marine debris challenges in marine, coastal and Great Lakes environments. Through research, extension and education, Sea Grant informs and enhances strategies to prevent the creation of marine debris and remove marine debris from the environment.
With funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, Sea Grant has invested over $50 million in projects across the country to advance marine debris prevention and removal technologies and approaches. Through the Marine Debris Challenge Competition and the Marine Debris Community Action Coalitions, innovative research will be translated into practical results and will engage communities, groups and localities — particularly those that have been historically underserved — in collaborative marine debris removal and prevention efforts.
Sea Grant’s Annual Marine Debris Symposium brings together grantees, researchers, community members, and other partners to share updates on Marine Debris Challenge and Community Action Coalitions Competition projects, discuss marine debris prevention and removal, and create a network of peer support for current and future work.
The 2024 Sea Grant Marine Debris Symposium took place on November 12th-14th at the NOAA Auditorium and Science Center in Silver Spring, MD.