Two decades ago, the federal government established the NOAA Marine Debris Program, designating it as the lead U.S. agency responsible for reducing and preventing the damaging effects of marine debris on the nation’s ocean and Great Lakes.<\/p>\n
The program has spent twenty years working to address the widespread problem of debris that threatens aquatic ecosystems across the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The NOAA Marine Debris Program is celebrating its 20th anniversary as the federal government’s primary agency dedicated to reducing and preventing the harmful effects of marine debris. The program was created to protect both the nation’s ocean waters and the Great Lakes from the damage caused by debris pollution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[838],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-nSO","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":32886,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/noaa-rescue-teams-free-entangled-humpback-whales-in-hawaiian-waters\/","url_meta":{"origin":91810,"position":0},"title":"NOAA Rescue Teams Free Entangled Humpback Whales in Hawaiian Waters","author":"Admin","date":"March 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Federal marine rescue specialists successfully freed humpback whales caught in fishing gear off the Hawaiian coast. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documented the rescue operations on video. The incident highlights ongoing concerns about marine debris threatening whale populations in Pacific waters.","rel":"","context":"In "Science"","block_context":{"text":"Science","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/science\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":44667,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/florida-rivals-fsu-and-uf-team-up-to-fight-ocean-trash\/","url_meta":{"origin":91810,"position":1},"title":"Florida Rivals FSU and UF Team Up to Fight Ocean Trash","author":"Admin","date":"March 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Two longtime Florida university rivals are putting aside their competition to tackle marine debris together. The University of Florida and Florida State University are collaborating on environmental efforts to address ocean pollution.","rel":"","context":"In "Science"","block_context":{"text":"Science","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/science\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":79049,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/noaa-scientists-use-advanced-ocean-technology-to-study-global-waters\/","url_meta":{"origin":91810,"position":2},"title":"NOAA Scientists Use Advanced Ocean Technology to Study Global Waters","author":"Admin","date":"June 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Federal researchers are deploying sophisticated underwater instruments to collect critical data from ocean depths worldwide. The scientific initiative aims to better understand marine conditions and their impact on global climate patterns.","rel":"","context":"In "Science"","block_context":{"text":"Science","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/science\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":62033,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/noaa-celebrates-teachers-leading-ocean-conservation-projects-nationwide\/","url_meta":{"origin":91810,"position":3},"title":"NOAA Celebrates Teachers Leading Ocean Conservation Projects Nationwide","author":"Admin","date":"May 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is recognizing educators across the country who guide students in ocean protection initiatives. The tribute comes as part of National Teacher Appreciation Day celebrations.","rel":"","context":"In "Science"","block_context":{"text":"Science","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/science\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33874,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/noaa-trains-ocean-education-specialists-in-alabama-workshop\/","url_meta":{"origin":91810,"position":4},"title":"NOAA Trains Ocean Education Specialists in Alabama Workshop","author":"Admin","date":"March 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Seven ocean education experts from across the United States, including territories from Puerto Rico to California, participated in a specialized three-day training program in Alabama. The NOAA Ocean Exploration Education Team conducted the intensive workshop to prepare facilitators for teacher professional development programs focused on deep-sea science and discovery.","rel":"","context":"In "Science"","block_context":{"text":"Science","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/science\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41195,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/noaa-highlights-marine-mammal-conservation-during-annual-awareness-week\/","url_meta":{"origin":91810,"position":5},"title":"NOAA Highlights Marine Mammal Conservation During Annual Awareness Week","author":"Admin","date":"March 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Federal marine scientists are promoting awareness of seals and sea lions through a special week-long observance. The initiative aims to educate the public about these marine mammals and conservation efforts to protect them.","rel":"","context":"In "Science"","block_context":{"text":"Science","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/science\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91810\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}