Barramundi boost Australian fish skin leather industry
14/02/2022
Owner of Esperance, Western Australia-based Mermaid Leather, David MacDermott (pictured), commented on the development: “For years, we’ve been quietly banging on the door to try to make people aware and wake up [to the fact that] the commercial fishery needs to do something about its sustainability and more usage of the fish itself. Otherwise, it ends up in landfill.”
Although Mermaid has been manufacturing fish skin leathergoods since the 1990s, Mr MacDermott described barramundi leather as “by far the most popular” of all of the leathers his company (which also manufacturers finished leathergoods such as handbags, wallets and belts) makes from a variety of fish species.
“The barramundi is a good one because it’s really consistent and they’ve got a nice big skin - for a fish,” he told ABC Rural, adding that his firm also harvests barra scales to craft earrings.
Image credit: Mermaid Leather.
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