Marine debris removal on the West Coast is among 25 projects being funded this year with grants totaling $7.3 million, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday.
Removal projects in Alaska, California, Hawaiʻi and Washington will get a piece of the $1.8 million budgeted, while marine debris research projects in California, Delaware, Maryland, New York and Puerto Rico will benefit from $1.4 million in grants, according to NOAA.
The Gulf of Alaska is one of the locations where 10 marine debris prevention and removal projects will be funded with about $4.1 million in grants. A project to remove over 100 metric tons of debris, such as dilapidated fishing gear from Hawai’i, Kaua’i and Maui islands will also be funded.
“Marine debris harms our coastal communities every day,” NOAA National Ocean Service Director Nicole LeBoeuf said. “These grants fund critical clean-up, while also working to prevent the problem at the source and better understand the movement of marine debris. These types of projects will help us remove the most harmful types of marine debris and mitigate the most harmful effects.”
