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1 1 (February 11, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govybv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional R search Service Updated February 11, 2019 Marine Debris: NOAA's Role NOAA's Marine Debris Program In 2006, Congress enacted the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act (Marine Debris Act, 33 U.S.C. §1951 et seq.; P.L. 109-449). It defines marine debris to include any persistent solid material, manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or Great Lakes. Marine debris may include, for example, materials made of plastic, rubber, metal, glass, or treated or painted wood. Under the Marine Debris Act, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the lead federal agency responsible for coordinating the federal government's efforts to address marine debris. The act established the Marine Debris Program (MDP) within NOAA. Its purpose is to help identify, determine sources of, assess, prevent, reduce, and remove marine debris and to address the adverse impacts of marine debris on the U.S. economy, marine environment, and navigation safety. Congress has also passed other legislation authorizing several agencies to take some responsibility to address certain aspects of marine debris. This CRS product concentrates on NOAA's role. According to NOAA, the MDP achieves its mission through five program pillars: prevention, removal, research, regional coordination, and emergency response. Through the MDP, NOAA tracks the location of marine debris and supports community- and region-based efforts to remove it and research its effects on humans and the environment. To do so, NOAA provides technical and financial assistance to state and local agencies, tribes, nongovernmental organizations, academia, and industry. Location of Marine Debris Marine debris is found in oceans around the globe and from the ocean surface to the sea floor. It has been recorded in numerous marine environments, such as shorelines, coral reefs, polar regions, and estuaries. The dynamic combination of diverse marine debris sizes, types, and sources; ocean currents; and wind makes it difficult to establish an accurate estimate of the total mass of marine debris currently in or entering the oceans. NOAA tracks issues related to marine debris across environments, including on U.S. shorelines and coastal waters, in the open ocean, and within garbage patches- large areas of rotating ocean currents or gyres that can pull in and concentrate marine debris. Marine debris from these areas may be redistributed and redeposited on nearby shores. This is an increasing problem in certain U.S. states and territories (Figure 1). Figure I. Marine Debris on a Hawaiian Shoreline bource: IUAA liarine LJebris irrogram. Sources of Marine Debris Marine debris is difficult to trace back to its source, which may include ocean- and land-based sources. Marine debris from ocean-based sources may include derelict fishing gear (e.g., nets, lines), abandoned and derelict vessels, and equipment or waste released-intentionally or unintentionally-from at-sea vessels (e.g., cruise or container ships, fishing boats, or other vessels). Until the 1970s, developed countries around the world disposed of municipal and industrial waste directly into the oceans. Most countries currently prohibit ocean dumping. Still, mismanaged waste may find a pathway to the ocean. Mismanaged waste generally includes littering or illegal dumping or inadequate disposal. Inadequate disposal may include disposal in an open dump or a poorly contained landfill. The United States and other developed countries have laws prohibiting such practices. However, countries where vast amounts of waste are disposed (e.g., China and other Asian countries) are known to allow inadequate disposal. A number of studies have identified inadequately or illegally discarded waste as a potentially substantial land- based source of marine debris and found that rivers can act as major transport pathways for that waste to reach the ocean. Plastic waste from land-based sources comes in a range of sizes and types, from microplastics to larger plastic items or macroplastics (e.g., bottles, bags, or foam materials). Plastics from many sources may reach oceans, but determining the exact sources of plastics in a given waterbody can be difficult. For example, municipal wastewater treatment facilities have been identified as one https://crsreports.congress.go,

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