The NOAA Marine Debris Program, using funding provided under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, awarded nearly $15 million to the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation to remove large marine debris across the National Marine Sanctuary System. Working with the Makah Tribe, the Quileute Tribe, California State Parks, and the National Park Service, among others, the project will soon begin removing debris from five national marine sanctuaries and two Tribal ancestral waters located off the coasts of California, Louisiana, Texas, and Washington. Removing this debris will restore and protect sensitive ecosystems and eliminate navigational hazards across our nation’s protected marine sanctuaries.

Director of the NOAA Marine Debris Program Nancy Wallace opened the briefing with a high-level overview of the program and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. Staff from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation shared an overview of the objectives and geographic scope of the NMSF project. The Port of Neah Bay Director also specifically highlighted the work being done in partnership with the Makah Tribe in Washington State, where the project team will remove abandoned vessels and other large derelict structures from Neah Bay and the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.