About us

MISSION...

The Big Bend Seagrass Aquatic Preserve, the St. Martins Marsh Aquatic Preserve, and the Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve encompass almost 1.5 million acres of continuous, state managed submerged resources. These areas accumulate marine debris primarily as a result of storms and tourism impacts. The mission of Operation T.R.A.P. (Trash Reduction for Aquatic Preserves) is to partner with local governments and state Aquatic Preserve systems to intercept litter at the source and reduce the amount of marine debris entering Florida's coastal waters. 

Operation T.R.A.P. supports NOAA's mission to prevent and mitigate adverse marine debris impacts to NOAA Trust Resources. The project aims to immediately reduce the amount of single-use plastic materials that enter Aquatic Preserve waterways through drainage systems and boat access points. This will be accomplished by installing interception technologies, such as booms, storm drain traps, and monofilament tubes in Cedar Key and Pasco County. By implementing these technologies this project aims to build a local infrastructure better able to contribute to global and nationwide plastic interception goals. The project team will compile data on debris types and amounts collected by all three types of devices. All data are shared here. We will foster community engagement and change through data driven education and outreach.

Operation T.R.A.P. serves as a pilot study and results will be packaged into a Municipality toolkit to reduce barriers for adoption by other coastal communities. The projects' long-term goal is to expand into neighboring counties during the course of the four years.