The Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee (IMDCC) is scheduled to meet virtually on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. (EDT) to hear an overview of established marine debris monitoring protocols from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), along with programatic updates from the Marine Debris Foundation.
To view the agenda, click HERE.
The agenda will include an update on the new Gulf of America Escaped Trash Assessment Protocol (ETAP) and NOAA’s Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project, or MDMAP, which is NOAA’s flagship initiative to measure the amount and types of marine debris on shorelines. Using this standardized collection method, suite of helpful resources, and publicly available data, participants and volunteers can detect differences in marine debris over time, inspire prevention efforts, and inform education and outreach.
- The virtual meeting is open to the public here: https://meet.google.com/oag-dhas-pbs or dial: (US) +1 941-677-2861, PIN: 519 143 635#
The Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee is a multi-agency body responsible for coordinating a comprehensive program of marine debris research and activities among federal agencies, in cooperation and coordination with non-governmental organizations, industry, academia, states, tribes, and other nations, as appropriate. Representatives meet to share information, assess and promote best management practices, and coordinate the Federal Government’s efforts to address marine debris.
The IMDCC was established in 2006 by the Marine Debris Act. The committee submits biennial reports to Congress with updates on activities, achievements, and recommendations. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) serves as the Chairperson of the Committee.
The EPA’s ETAP, which was developed by the EPA’s Trash Free Waters program, is a quantitative survey tool that provides a standard method for collecting and assessing litter data.
The protocol is designed to be applied to a broad range of site types— e.g., parks, streets, parking lots, etc. — and environmental conditions — e.g., various hydrological and climatic regimes. This highly adaptable method for trash monitoring will provide practitioners and citizen scientists with a comprehensive and rigorous method for quantifying trash loadings. The tool can also be used to assess item age and level of fouling and analyze and compare across specific material types and categories of trash collected. This information can eventually be used to guide upstream source reduction decisions.
- Download The Escaped Trash Assessment Protocol Reference Manual (pdf) ( for background information about the problem of aquatic trash and to learn how the ETAP tool can be used to address a wide range of management questions. The Reference Manual includes a step-by-step guide of how to use the protocol as well as an appendix of several supplementary materials.
- The Escaped Trash Assessment Protocol (ETAP) Excel Spreadsheet Tool (xlsx) is a data entry tool that can be used in company with the ETAP Reference Manual to record, manage, and analyze data collected in the field using the ETAP methodology.
The ETAP is also now available on NOAA’s Marine Debris Tracker app, which is designed to help citizen scientists make a difference by contributing data on plastic pollution in their communities. Every day, dedicated educational, non-profit, and scientific organizations and passionate citizen scientists from all around the world record data on inland and marine debris with this easy-to-use app, contributing to NOAA’s open data platform and scientific research.
Gulf of America Partnership ETAP Materials
The EPA developed the ETAP and its regional adaptations like the Gulf of America Partnership ETAP to standardize litter data collection and identify upstream trash sources.
Why is this important? The Gulf watershed drains 33 rivers from 31 states and Mexico, making marine debris management a massive cross-jurisdictional challenge. Large volumes of storm-drain litter, plastics, and derelict gear threaten Gulf habitats, wetlands, and seafood industries.
A mobile version of EPA’s Escaped Trash Assessment Protocol called the “Gulf of America Partnership” is now accessible via the Marine Debris Tracker app, which is available for free on all smartphones. Moving the ETAP onto platforms like the Marine Debris Tracker via the Gulf of America Partnership lets regional groups aggregate comparable data faster.
A Standard Operating Procedure and companion materials were developed to help ETAP users adapt to using an application platform (or combination of app and paper) for categorizing and analyzing collected debris. The materials below were designed for use by Gulf stakeholders but are consistent with EPA’s ETAP, with a more detailed fishing section in the item list and additional data prompts concerning nearshore work to meet the needs of Gulf stakeholders.
- Download the Standard Operating Procedures for the Gulf of America Partnership List (pdf) for background information on how to use the Gulf of America Partnership ETAP list, a step-by-step guide for using the MDT to log collected data, and an appendix of several supplementary materials including a printable data card and reference sheet.
- The Gulf of America Partnership ETAP List Excel Spreadsheet Tool (xlsx)is a data entry tool which can be used in company with the SOP to record, manage, and analyze data collected in the field using the ETAP methodology.
