Marine debris has become one of the most recognized pollution problems in the world’s oceans and waterways today. Monitoring and assessment of marine debris is essential to understanding the problem and being able to mitigate, prioritize, and prevent the most severe impacts. The NOAA Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project utilizes standardized, statistically valid methodologies for conducting assessments of the debris material type and quantity present in a monitored location. The project seeks to answer the questions “how big is the marine debris problem, and how is it changing over time? Which debris types are most common?”
Coast Guard Auxiliary members from Division 33, District 9WR have established a marine debris collection and study site at the Casco Nature Preserve near South Haven, Michigan. It consists of 20 acres of land with 700 feet of Lake Michigan frontage. The bluff overlooking the lake is a near-vertical slope consisting of red and gray clays mixed with the wind borne sand from the shoreline. The Nature Preserve was registered with NOAA on July 11, 2016 and is the only site that is located in the Great Lakes Region.
Speaker: Paul Pagano is a Marine Safety Staff Officer with the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. He received a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology from Wayne State University and a Master of Science from Andrews University. Paul worked as a career microbiologist in infectious diseases research for 30+ years before joining the Coast Guard Auxiliary. He was a member of a drug discovery team in the pharmaceutical industry that developed ARV therapies for HIV patients. The team’s research also focused on developing new antimicrobial treatments for human and veterinary pathogens. He is now using his passion for biology to help protect the Great Lakes marine environment. Paul has established a partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to monitor marine debris in Lake Michigan.
