Ocean Voyages Institute is honored to make a commitment to an action agenda for solutions to the problem of plastic litter in our global ocean. Out of our work over the last 8 years, we have studied the issue of plastics in the ocean and have formed an Ocean Voyages Institute Marine Debris Collection Think Tank that is centered around using existing maritime industry equipment and adapting it for ocean clean up work. The Think Tank is made up of naval architects, marine engineers, oceanographers, fisherman and a variety of ocean industry experts who have been coming together for 7 years to work on designing the most efficient methods of cleanup in the North Pacific Gyre. We are interested in providing ideas for adapting and utilizing the types of work boats and fishing vessels available in a variety of different island and coastal areas who wish to participate in ocean clean up. The technical expertise of our team can also offer assistance with cleanup operations in other areas of our global ocean as well.

By utilizing and adapting existing maritime equipment, we are in a position to start immediate cleanup based on obtaining appropriate funding. We currently have 50 satellite tags ready for deployment onto ghost nets and other large masses of marine litter over the next two years, through collaboration with international vessels that can deploy these trackers onto said ghost nets & marine litter in their regular ocean passages. Our ocean current experts will be using the information obtained from the deployed satellites to further define their computer marine debris distribution models. We will then be conducting at least one clean up expedition per year for the next three years, picking up the tagged ghost nets along with other marine debris. We are committed to finding the necessary funding and moving forward with the technologies and partners we have been working with thus far and are eager to expand those technologies as well as our partnerships & collaboration efforts in order to reach all corners of the globe in our cleanup efforts.

It is our long term goal to conduct cleanup expeditions with fleets of ships so that the result of these efforts is commensurate with the scope of this major global environmental issue. However, due to the urgency of this issue, we have already been doing smaller scale cleanups over the past 8 years and will continue to do at least one clean up expedition a year for the foreseeable future, with a primary focus on ghost nets.

Overall, we advocate finding solutions for keeping plastics out of our ocean and the natural environment and for cleaning up what is already there. We are experts in at sea major clean up and want to contribute our expertise to others around the world who are wanting to engage in these activities.