About Us

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History

Charles Moore founded Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF) in 1994 to focus on the “coastal ocean", specifically on the restoration of disappearing giant kelp forests and the improvement of water quality through the preservation and re-construction of

wetlands along the California coast.

In 1997, his focus dramatically changed. While returning to California from Hawaii aboard his 50-foot catamaran, the Alguita, he chose to chart a course through the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. This area of the Pacific is a circulating rotation of ocean currents and is normally avoided by sailors due to its light winds.

In the eastern portion of the Gyre he encountered a substantial amount of trash, mostly plastic, scattered across the area. Now commonly referred to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, it is a vast plastic soup (from the surface down through the water column) containing everything from large abandoned fishing nets (ghost nets) to plastic bottles, bottle caps, toothbrushes, containers, boxes, to miniscule particles of plastic that have either been reduced from larger pieces by wave action or sunlight (photodegradation).

Since 1997, Captain Moore has made numerous research voyages to the Gyre aboard the ORV Alguita, resulting in a body of authoritative research publications and data and educational programs. During the most recent voyage in the summer of 2009, AMRF’s area of study extended to the International Date Line which revealed more of the same - plastic sludge in our trawl samples.

During our celebration of Algalita’s 15th anniversary in 2010, we have participated in voyages to the North Atlantic and Indian Ocean Gyres. We will participate in a voyage to the South Atlantic Gyre later this year and plan to go to the South Pacific in 2011, expanding our research to include all five major gyres worldwide. We are confident our research will lead the way to a new era of consciousness regarding the issue of plastic marine pollution. Part of our current research is focusing on a better understanding of the magnitude of our plastic “footprint”, including the effects of fish ingestion of plastic on human health.

"The base component of the marine food chain is being displaced by a non-digestible, non-nutritive component which is actually out-weighing and out-numbering the natural food.
That is our core issue."

Captain Charles Moore, AMRF Founder

Our Mission Statement

The Algalita Marine Research Foundation is dedicated to the protection of the marine environment and its watersheds through research, education, and restoration. We do this by:

Conducting research and collaborative studies on

(1) Distribution, abundance and fate of marine plastic pollution.
(2) Potential harmful effects of plastics in the marine environment, including transference of toxins and their impact on human health.

Our Vision Statement

The Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF) vision is a global environment that is healthy, sustainable, and productive for all living creatures, free from plastic pollution.

We are a Non-profit, Independent Research Foundation

2010 Annual Report >>
Annual Reports Archive >>

Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF) is a Long Beach, California-based non-profit marine research and education organization.

AMRF is a registered 501c(3) organization and all contributions are tax deductible.

Our Strategic Plan

Strategic Plan >>

Our plan is a working document, updated annually or when there are significant influences to the focus of the Foundation. This provides a clear direction for growth, creating common goals and strategies.

By sharing our Strategic Plan, we let others see that our movement forward is through a series of logical, professional steps that will improve the world in which we live. We welcome others with a similar point of view to join us, either through action or funding.