Alaska tribes and rural communities removed 1.5 million pounds of marine debris from state shores last summer despite facing significant barriers to federal funding and equipment needed for cleanup efforts.

The House Tribal Affairs Committee heard Tuesday that the vast majority of debris washing up on Alaska beaches consists of derelict fishing gear, much of it plastic that threatens subsistence resources critical to Alaska Native communities' food security and culture.

"The majority of the funding for these large-scale cleanups in Alaska has come from the federal government, and we need those funds to keep cleaning beaches," Michael Levine of Ocean Conservancy told lawmakers during invited testimony on a resolution supporting marine debris cleanup efforts.

Levine said Ocean Conservancy has documented more than 440 billion pounds of debris removed from beaches nationwide over 40 years. In Alaska, successful cleanup projects last summer included efforts by the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe, the community of St. Paul Island which removed over 25,000 pounds, and the Sea Coast Indigenous Guardians Network in Southeast.

But rural tribes face multiple obstacles, Levine explained when pressed by committee members about specific barriers. "Applications for federal grants are onerous," he said. "The barriers for rural and tribal communities are manpower, know-how, distance, equipment needs, funding."

Dr. Lynn Zender, director of Zender Environmental Health, described how her organization helped the Native Village of Kotlik launch a successful cleanup effort through creative funding partnerships. Kotlik hired eight workers for six weeks and collected four tons of material from priority sites around their community.

"Kotlik could not launch this effort without knowing how to do it and without the financial resources for the event itself and without the staff bandwidth for the grant writing and administrative burden," Zender said.

The project required extensive coordination. Zender's organization provided safety training, including a 16-hour hazardous site worker course, while Ocean Conservancy helped cover shipping and recycling costs. Finding available boats during summer subsistence season posed another challenge.

"Finding available boats to use during summer when everyone is using them already for subsistence is an obstacle barrier, as is timing and prioritizing the sites when to clean and also avoiding those high heavy subsistence periods," Zender said.

The cleanup proved doubly valuable when Typhoon Merbok struck just days after completion. The trained crew immediately responded to storm debris with proper safety equipment, demonstrating how marine debris funding builds community disaster response capacity.

Anama Shannon, who works with the regional nonprofit COERIC in Nome, emphasized the connection between marine debris and subsistence resources. "While we often think of our beautiful environment as pristine, it is common that we encounter marine debris while we are harvesting greens and berries along the coast," Shannon said.

Shannon described how families regularly return from subsistence activities carrying discarded buoys and fishing nets found while collecting firewood or hunting birds. The Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation has conducted rotating marine debris cleanups throughout the Bering Strait region for years, covering two villages annually.

"Subsistence is central to coastal Alaskans' way of life, and marine debris threatens the land and waters we depend on for food, culture, and community well-being," Shannon said.

Committee members questioned whether the fishing industry should contribute more funding for cleanup efforts. Representative Storium noted that since most marine debris comes from fishing gear, industry should help pay for removal rather than relying solely on government funds.

Levine acknowledged the complexity of identifying debris sources, noting much comes from international waters. He said Ocean Conservancy works with fishing industry partners and would welcome additional industry funding, pointing to the defunct Marine Debris Foundation that operated through the 1990s and early 2000s with industry support.

The committee heard testimony on House Joint Resolution 8, which would urge Congress to continue funding marine debris cleanup programs. Staff indicated the resolution might be amended to also address the Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Zender's organization is expanding efforts this year, planning to train Kotlik residents on sorting debris for recycling and backhaul to facilities in the Lower 48. A separate project will pay Nuiqsut residents gas money to collect waste they encounter during subsistence activities along the Colville River.

The committee took no action Tuesday on the resolution, which serves as a companion to similar legislation in the Alaska Senate.