Plasticus Maritimus: An Invasive Species

Biologist Ana Pêgo’s work with beach plastic is presented through the name Plasticus maritimus, which treats plastic waste as a newly cataloged species. The book connects this waste to harm in the world’s oceans. It also recalls Pêgo’s childhood at the beach, where she observed tide pools and collected fossils. Her collecting, naming, and cataloging frame the book’s investigation of ocean plastic.