February 12, 2026

Successful Partnerships: How to Remove 1,700 Pounds of Marine Debris from the Twilight Zone

February 18, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Central Time

From June 27–July 2, 2025, an unlikely group of partners came together to remove over 1,700 pounds of debris (including 18 ghost nets and three trawling sledges) from Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Staff from NOAA, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, Moody Gardens, Georgia Aquarium, T&T Salvage LLC, and Anchor Diving joined forces and expertise aboard a Bordelon Marine vessel to conduct this unique operation. Commercial divers were employed to complete the necessary underwater tasks, using specialized equipment to reach the seafloor, and breathing a gas mix that allows them to dive deeper than recreational depths.

Join us for a journey into the heavy lift of commercial diving in a national marine sanctuary, and learn about additional projects underway to support the health of the ocean for future generations.

Presented by Jake Emmert, Director of Marine Operations, Moody Gardens

Register for Webinar

Teachers—We provide CPE hours for attending Seaside Chats. These presentations also make excellent extra credit activities for students.

Next Chat: Are Damsels Causing Distress?: Identifying Traits that Make Marine Invasive Species Successful Tune in on March 4 at 6:30 p.m. (CT) for the final Seaside Chat of the year to hear about traits that make invasive species successful in a marine environment, like Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

This is an electronic distribution list run by Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS). This list was created to provide subscribers with information and the latest news about sanctuary management, research, events, and opportunities for involvement. To subscribe to this or any other FGBNMS email list, please visit https://flowergarden.noaa.gov/newsevents/subscribe.html

Postings made to this list are not the views of the Federal Government, inclusive of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce/NOAA/NOS/ONMS/FGBNMS. If you need additional assistance, please contact   flowergarden@noaa.gov.