This meeting brought together over 35 marine debris stakeholders across Virginia. Attendees included a diverse set of sectors including state agencies, nonprofits, private sector, and academia. Due to the unexpected spread of coronavirus, the conference organizers had to change the one-day workshop to virtual meeting.

The virtual workshop focused on discussions around the Virginia Marine Debris Reduction Plan that was published in collaboration with the NOAA Marine Debris Program in 2014. The workshop presenters highlighted past accomplishments, current Virginia legislation, and approaches to updating the plan to better reflect present marine debris issues and potential solutions.

NOAA MDP Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator Christy Kehoe shared information on the Marine Debris Program’s marine debris action planning and lessons learned from other regions.  This webinar provided an opportunity to discuss the current marine debris issues facing Virginia and to foster collaboration and advance understanding of this issue in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Virginia marine debris community will continue these discussions throughout the upcoming year.

For more information please contact Christy.Kehoe@noaa.gov.

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