Costa, a company committed to sustainable sport fishing practices and ocean conservation, launched its Kick Plastic campaign earlier this year to educate its customers about the growing ocean trash issue, and encourage them to kick the plastic habit. Now, the brand takes the initiative one step further by offering solutions through products that help change behavior, and commissioning a sculpture of a jumping marlin made entirely out of washed up beach trash.
The nine-foot tall, seven-foot long fish premiered at the entrance hall of the American Sportfishing Association’s ICAST event in Orlando July 14-17. Artist Angela Pozzi and her team of staff and volunteers from the non-profit organization Washed Ashore designed and the assembled the sculpture using thousands of collected plastic and metal cans found on beaches along the West coast.
A toy truck tire sliced in half makes up the outer ring of the marlin’s eyes, with pieces from a child’s plastic ball, a blue plastic automotive oil bottle, bottle lids and aluminum cans adding to the creation. Silver flip flop pieces, plastic water bottles, a mayonnaise jar lid and a baby bowl from Japan also went into the mix to create the eyes.
The sculpture is meant to serve as a stark reminder of how much trash can be found on coastal beaches, and start conversations about how anglers can become more involved in addressing the plastic problem.
As part of the solution, Costa now offers a new stainless steel Klean Kanteen water bottle, a reusable heavy-duty tote bag made entirely out of material from recycled plastic bottles, and a line of t-shirts made from 50 percent polyester comprised of recycled bottles and plastics, and 50 percent organic cotton. The products are now available online at www.costadelmar.com.