Take a Dive, Clean Up a Reef

Volunteer scuba divers are teaming up with NOAA to celebrate World Oceans Day by picking up debris at the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary in Savannah, Ga.

The Gray's Reef staff will be on hand to teach the volunteer divers how to remove trash from the reef without hurting the soft corals and other invertebrates living there. The most common types of trash littering the reef include fishing line, fishing gear, and beverage cans.

The divers will make the plunge twice, once on June 11 and again on June 25. Together the events make up the "Sweep the Reef, Sweep the Beach World Oceans Day 2006 Clean Up." World Oceans Day is an international celebration intended to recognize and appreciate the life-giving roles of oceans worldwide.

The NOAA Gray's Reef sanctuary is one of the largest near shore live-bottom reefs off the southeastern United States, covering nearly 20 square miles. The sanctuary consists of a series of sandstone outcroppings and ledges up to ten feet in height, with a sandy, flat-bottomed sea floor. The live bottom and ledge habitat support an abundant reef fish and invertebrate community. Loggerheaded sea turtles, a threatened species, use the reef year-round for foraging and resting, and the reef is near the known winter calving ground for the highly endangered Northern Right Whale.

Divers and land-lovers interested in voluteering can contact the Gray's Reef sanctuary office at (912) 598-2345 for more information about the underwater clean up or contact Clean Coast at (912) 239-9663 to sign up for the coastal clean up on June 24.

--Bjorn Carey

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Credit: NOAA