The 20th anniversary of the NOAA Marine Debris Program

The 20th anniversary of the NOAA Marine Debris Program Public participants in NOAA’s Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project sort debris items and record data at Nukoli’i Beach, Hawaii in June of 2024. (Image credit: Kauai Surfrider) July 6, 2026 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.