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Twenty years ago, the NOAA Marine Debris Program was established as the U.S. Government’s lead to reduce and prevent the adverse impacts of marine debris on our ocean and Great Lakes. Since then, the NOAA Marine Debris Program has led national and international efforts to research, prevent, and reduce the impacts of marine debris. Learn more about the work around the country that benefits the environment, the economy, and navigational safety.
Supporting Clean, Healthy Coasts and Economies
Prepare • Respond • Restore • Recover
OR&R Services
Disaster and Pollution
OR&R delivers critical services to address increasing impacts from disasters and from pollution due to oil, chemicals, and marine debris. Our pollution and disaster mandates provide the backbone for our mission to the changing nature of coastal threats and hazards, which impact our coastal communities and the economies on which they rely.
Oil and Chemical Spill Response
OR&R provides scientific support to over 150 oil and chemical spills in U.S. waters annually. Spills impact lives, property, and public natural resources, as well as disrupt marine transportation with widespread economic impacts.
Oil and Chemical Natural Resource Restoration
OR&R and partners assess the impacts of oil spill and industrial pollution incidents and reach legal settlements with those responsible to fund restoration. Over the past 30+ years, NOAA and co-trustees have helped recover $10.8 billion for restoration of injured resources across the country.
Marine Debris Prevention and Removal
OR&R investigates and prevents the adverse impacts of marine debris. Since 2006, we have supported over 260 marine debris removal projects and removed more than 38,000 metric tons of marine debris from our coasts and ocean.
Emergency and Disaster Preparedness
Through planning, training, exercises, disaster coordination, and continuous improvement, OR&R ensures the National Ocean Service and its partners have the tools and information necessary to plan for and respond to disasters so commerce, communities, and natural resources can recover as quickly as possible.
Featured News
.png?itok=BPnSz0Oz "The updated public DIVER website homepage now includes the Environmental Data Catalog which provides access to NOAA environmental data packages, project information, and visualization tools supporting damage assessment and restoration efforts. Image credit: NOAA.")
The public environmental data website, DIVER (Data Integration, Visualization, Exploration, and Reporting), is home to a new DIVER Environmental Data Catalog. This new catalog acts as a central library, making it easier for the public to find and download NOAA-created data packages for damage assessments, restoration project monitoring, publications, and special projects.
When oil spills or hazardous waste releases damage or close our favorite parks and beaches, NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) works to quantify the loss to the public. Leveraging new technologies, OR&R economists are exploring mobility data from smartphones to get a more complete picture of how community recreation is impacted after environmental disasters.
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The Washington Department of Natural Resources, with 2024 funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program, is removing derelict vessels from the Puget Sound and supporting the prevention of boat abandonment through their voluntary Vessel Turn-In Program. This program provides Washington boat owners with an alternative to abandonment, helping to prevent derelict vessels and associated pollutants from harming state aquatic lands.