The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water has launched the nation’s first comprehensive database to track abandoned and derelict vessels across U.S. waters, a major step toward cleaning up coastlines and protecting marine environments.
Developed in partnership with the Marine Debris Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the new tool allows the public to report abandoned boats and derelict vessels, known as ADVs, along their local waterways. The information will be used to identify where problem areas exist, measure the success of removal programs, and guide future prevention efforts.
Abandoned boats are more than an eyesore — they can crush fragile habitats, leak pollutants, and block navigation channels. Some sink and break apart, releasing plastics, metals, and fuel into the water. Others drift with tides, becoming hazards to boaters and swimmers. Removing them is expensive, often costing more than $24,000 per vessel, and can require coordination between multiple agencies.
By compiling data on a national scale, the BoatUS Foundation and NOAA aim to better understand the scope of the issue and make it easier for local, state, and federal programs to respond. The database will eventually track how many vessels are removed, where problem clusters occur, and how those numbers change over time. The hope is that clear data will lead to better strategies for both removal and prevention.
The Foundation also awarded new grants this year to help remove abandoned vessels in Alaska, Guam, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, Oregon, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington. These efforts are part of a larger initiative supported by NOAA to reduce marine debris and raise awareness about responsible boat ownership and disposal.
The upcoming Second Annual “Turning the Tide” conference, set for December 2026 in New Orleans, will further highlight these efforts, bringing together environmental leaders and boating advocates to share ideas and progress.
For decades, abandoned and derelict vessels have been a stubborn problem for coastal communities. With the launch of this new database, the BoatUS Foundation hopes to give local governments, organizations, and the public the tools they need to locate, remove, and ultimately prevent future debris.
The Foundation’s goal is simple but far-reaching — to make abandoned boats a thing of the past and restore cleaner, safer waterways for everyone who loves to be on the water.
