Large MArine Debris
The Micronesia Region encompasses hundreds of islands in a space characterized by industrial fishing operations and roughly one-third of the world’s tropical cyclones. This results in a substantial amount of large marine debris scattered throughout small communities that have little capacity for removal.
A location-aware field survey and removal prioritization framework was deployed by Mariana Islands-based Pacific Coastal Research and Planning and Palau-based Coral Reef Research Foundation. The survey enables partners to collect standardized information related to vessel and buoy wreckage, and hazards to the environment. The publicly available dataset currently includes marine debris in the Marianas, Palau, and Pohnpei. Through this surveying effort, wreck removal funding sources (e.g. NOAA) now have a living geospatial dataset with which to review and select proposed marine debris mitigation efforts in the region.
-
Our ocean is filled with items that do not belong there, from small plastics to huge, abandoned vessels that can damage sensitive habitats. PCRP surveys and removes large marine debris, ADVs and DFGs, with funding from NOAA’s Marine Debris Program.
-
Explore large marine debris in Micronesia in our new web app!
In 2015, Super Typhoon Soudelor grounded the 83 ft. Lady Carolina on a shallow reef in the northern lagoon of Saipan. The Lady Carolina was disassembled in-place over a two month period in the summer of 2021 through a dynamic collaboration.