Artist and GPCAAC board member Joshua Zetzer designed the plastic gobbling metal walleye, which is doing a good job of recycling plastics at its perch on North Madison Street at the Portage River in downtown Port Clinton. (Photo by D’Arcy Egan)

One of Port Clinton’s newest residents is helping to keep the downtown area clean and healthy. The metal sculpture, which is in the shape of a walleye, sits on North Madison Street near the mouth of the Portage River. The fish has two “deposit ports,” where people can place recyclable plastic bottles.

The Greater Port Clinton Area Arts Council partnered with the city, with the help of grants from the Ottawa County Community Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council, to create the unique downtown recycling container.

The GPCAAC is holding a ribbon-cutting and “meet the walleye” event on North Madison Street at 5 p.m. on Earth Day, which is Wednesday, April 22. The sculpture is to be named by local schoolchildren.

Arts council member Carol Morgan was inspired by a Facebook post of a similar piece of art, called a “recycling fish,” located in India. In January 2019, members of the arts council met with city representatives to arrange the partnership.

Artist and GPCAAC board member Joshua Zetzer designed the metal walleye. It stands more than five feet tall, plus the height of the pedestal, and is 10 feet, six inches long. Cody Gabel of Gabel Welding, Inc., fabricated the structure from steel rods and sheet metal. Zetzer created the design to be as close as possible to a walleye’s anatomy, while making as much room as he could in the belly area for the recycled bottles.

In addition to the two deposit ports, the fish’s belly has a “clean-out port” for removal of the bottles. The owners and employees of Real Living Morgan Realty have volunteered to remove the trash from the fish this year. Other groups or individuals who would like to volunteer should contact Carol Morgan at 419-341-0979 or carol@morganrealtygroup.com.