Life-sized blue whale made entirely of plastic trash on display at Crissy Field

SAN FRANCISCO - A life-sized blue whale,on display at Crissy Field in San Francisco, seeks to make a big statement about ocean pollution. 

The 82-foot art installation, created by Bay Area artist Joel Dean Stockdill, seeks to draw a connection between plastic pollution and its impact on marine life around the world. The whale is made entirely from hand-recycled plastic trash 

"Plastic is filling up our landfills and only nine percent of it has been recycled. As a society we need to reduce our reliance on single-use plastic," said Stockdill. "That's why I wanted to be a part of this effort."

According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the endangered blue whale was chosen as the subject of the art installation because it can weigh about 300,000 pounds - the approximate weight of plastic that ends up in the ocean every nine minutes.   

The project is in partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. 

"Our Art in the Parks initiative seeks to bring art to park settings to provide new ways of experiencing and learning about place and to foster wider civic engagement and dialogue around today's most important social issues," said Greg Moore, President and CEO of the Parks Conservancy. "Art projects like the blue whale art installation encourage an exploration about the history of our parks, the importance of our natural resources and the stewardship of these places."

The blue whale will be officially unveiled to the public on Saturday and will remain on display through January 2019.