Public Art

Tofino Float'em Garden by Pete Clarkson

Tofino Float 'em Garden is constructed from some of the most commonly found debris. Based on coastal cleanup data, fishing, aquaculture and shipping are responsible for 30% of all ocean plastic. Recent studies at sea suggest this may be even higher. Lost or discarded 'ghostnets' alone account for 46% of the total mass of debris within the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

As fishing, shipping, and aquaculture intensify, it is crucial to mitigate this significant ocean plastic source.

The Float 'em poles are formed from fishing floats and buoys. Fish floats and buoys comprise a large percentage of the marine debris found around the world. It is a sad irony that fishing and aquaculture, industries that depend on healthy oceans, are responsible for so much plastic pollution.

The Float 'em Poles are an allegory that we are "fishing down the food web," systematically targeting species at ever-decreasing trophic levels. Each float represents a different species along the spectrum, from the largest apex predator to the tiniest primary producer. Together they symbolize the unsustainable demands we are placing on the totem of marine life.

Artist Bio

Pete Clarkson is a self-taught artist widely recognized for his marine debris sculptures, installations and assemblages, which he's been creating since 2000. His art is on permanent display at the Canadian Museum of Nature, Vancouver Aquarium, Ucluelet Aquarium, and Tofino Botanical Gardens and has been featured at the Globe Conference 2016, the International Summit of Marine Debris 2016 (Japan), and the Maritime Museum of BC (2014). Pete is a long-time national park warden and proud ambassador for Ocean Wise and Surfrider Pacific Rim.