In the spirit of Valentine’s Day and also the continued clean-up after the two January storms, I thought I’d share a way to show the coast a little love. The high water of the storms as well as last weekend’s high tides means that there is a lot of debris in the water and along the shore. There are a number of efforts around the state to help clean up this debris and also to figure out the best way to dispose of it or to repurpose or return it to property owners.

Whether you are on the water or along the shore, there is likely to be an array of items that need to be removed from the water. There are several groups that work on these efforts year-round, not just to organize clean-ups, but also to help find solutions. Some recycle collected gear, some tabulate information on debris and some even create art with it.

Many of these groups collaborate together as part of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment. The group spans borders to include both the United States and Canada, both of which border the Gulf of Maine. The consortium’s formation was facilitated by a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program. Groups participating include nonprofits like the Blue Ocean Society and Surfrider Foundation as well as research groups like the Urban Harbors Institute and the Huntsman Marine Science Center. While this group is specific to the Gulf of Maine, NOAA’s Marine Debris Program addresses the problem nation-wide.

The Gulf of Maine council has an array of resources online for those looking for ways to be involved (gulfofmaine.org/public/marine-debris/). They have a calendar showing clean-ups and other events related to marine debris as well as a toolkit for people wanting to organize their own clean-up. If you want to have your own regular site, you can adopt a beach through Surfrider that you pledge to help clean up year-round.

One of the most interesting resources linked on the Gulf of Maine council’s website is a field guide. This isn’t a field guide for living things but rather for the items that are found washed ashore. While there is a wide array of items that wash up, the guide does a nice job of categorizing things into groups based on how they should or shouldn’t be handled. There are obviously items that aren’t safe to pick up. There are also items that have identification on them and are important to notice and report. These include fishing gear that is required to have tags and can be reported to the Department of Marine Resources to help get gear back to its owner.

While some property can be returned to its owners, more universal items like rope also sometimes wash ashore. There are gear recycling programs that can break down and repurpose the materials. Others get creative and turn rope into art. You may have seen the installment on the Portland waterfront of Pamela Moulton’s giant colorful creatures created from rope, entitled “Beneath the Forest, Beneath the Sea.” She has done a number of exhibits using reclaimed rope to make whimsical forms.

Finally, if you’re not into spending time on the coast, particularly in the chillier weather, you can support these efforts by dining at one of Surfrider’s partnering ocean-friendly restaurants that pledge to reduce waste and plastic use. You can find a list of these locations on Surfrider’s website at surfrider.org/programs/ocean-friendly-restaurants. Flatbread on the Portland waterfront is a local one.

There is a lot to learn and a long way to go in addressing the problem of marine debris. Perhaps the recent storms will help to raise awareness of the issue and to help more people discover ways to be part of the solution.

Susan Olcott is the director of operations at Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association.

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