JUNEAU – Last week, Governor Mike Dunleavy signed Senate Joint Resolution 20 (SJR20), supporting federal state and local efforts to clean up and remove marine debris from Alaska’s shores. The bipartisan resolution recognizes the challenges that fishing gear, storm debris, and other trash poses for Alaska’s coastal communities, wildlife and economies; the value of partnerships to address those challenges; and the need for support from federal and state agencies. SJR 20, which was led by Senator Jesse Bjorkman and Representatives Jeremy Bynum and Maxine Dibert, passed both the Alaska House and Senate with unanimous support and will now be transmitted to the Alaska congressional delegation. Ocean Conservancy’s Senior Director for Alaska Programs Michael LeVine issued the following statement in response:

“Marine debris affects beaches across the country, and that problem takes on truly enormous proportions in Alaska, where we have more coastline than the rest of the U.S. combined. In 2025 alone, Tribes, local governments, NGOs, industry and other partners removed more than 1.5 million pounds of derelict fishing gear, storm debris, and other trash from Alaska’s shores. This debris affects coastal economies, food security, and wildlife, and removing it often takes significant time and resources on remote shores. The unanimous, bipartisan support for SJR20 demonstrates that removing debris from our beaches requires the uniquely Alaskan spirit of collaboration, ingenuity, and care for our special places. This resolution is a step toward securing cleaner, safer shorelines for all Alaskans.”

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