In addition to our marine mammals, a new sighting is becoming more active off our coast, known as marine debris. Marine debris is defined by NOAA as any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment.
It is our mission to reduce the impact of marine debris on our local marine life and environment by spreading the word through prevention by education and engaging our passengers in the active collection onboard ecotourism vessels. On our whale and dolphin watches, our crew collects any type of floating marine debris with our passengers. The most common item we collect are Mylar balloons. We are collecting more balloons every year on the American Star!
We record data on all marine debris collection at sea on the American Star and on land during beach clean-ups we use the Marine Debris Tracker, a mobile app funded by NOAA Marine Debris Program and the Southeast Atlantic Marine Debris Initiative (SEA-MDI), located within the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia.
Our Clean Ocean Initiative Has Expanded To The Following Organizations:
Our Clean Ocean Initiative is expanding through #NOAAPlanetStewards! Stay tuned for exciting updates in our 2024 season!
Are you interested in collaborating with us and expanding the Clean Ocean Initiative?
Contact (609)-898-0055 for more information.