Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program

About DARRP NOAA is a steward, or "trustee," for the nation’s coastal and marine resources. We act on behalf of the public to protect and restore natural resources harmed by oil spills, releases of hazardous waste, and, in some instances, vessel groundings. NOAA’s Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program (DARRP) works with teams of other state, tribal, and federal trustee agencies, often in cooperation with industry. We also involve the public as we develop plans for restoration. We have recovered more than $10 billion for restoration from those responsible for environmental harm. NOAA trust resources are living marine resources. They include commercial and recreational fishery resources, (fish, shellfish, and their habitats), migratory fish species (like salmon and eels), endangered and threatened marine species (like whales, sea turtles, and their habitats), and other critical habitats (like marshes, mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs), and resources associated with National Marine Sanctuaries and National Estuarine Research Reserves. NOAA’s Role Congress directed the President to designate specific agencies as natural resource “trustees,” charged with protecting and restoring specific natural resources. NOAA is the primary federal trustee for marine and coastal resources. The resources we are entrusted with include: Marine fisheries; - Fish, such as salmon, that spawn in freshwater and migrate to the sea; - Endangered and threatened marine species (e.g., sea turtles); - Marine mammals; - Wetlands, mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs, and other habitats; - All resources associated with National Marine Sanctuaries and National Estuarine Research Reserves.