Bart van Olphen impressed by Mandurah commercial fishing model

Bart van Olphen, the founder of dutch seafood brand Fish Tales, travels the globe to educate communities on sustainable fishing.

Local fisherman Damien Bell, who is also the Mandurah Licensed Fishermen's Association president, took Mr van Olphen fishing and crabbing, showing him the methods in which local fisherman do business.

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Mr Bell who is just as passionate about sustainability, impressed his guest.

“We caught the blue swimmer crab and went fishing for the sea mullet,” Mr van Olphen said. 

“It was great to be taken out by Damien, who was knowledgeable in sustainability and proved you can fish in a traditional, small scale way and make money at the same time.

“It’s amazing what’s happening here compared to many other parts of the world.”

Later that morning, the Fish Tales team visited a group of John Tonkin College students who were on an outdoor education camp, to cook the mullet he had only caught hours before.

Mr van Olphen said it was very important to educate young people on seafood sustainability.

“A large percentage of our oceans is severely over-fished,” he said.

“The next generations may not be able to taste fish if we over harvest. This is why we want to inform people on ways to fish and to create awareness.”

John Tonkin College science teacher Kim Davies said the event fell on Sustainability Seafood Week, where they have a speaker for the students annually. 

“It was a great opportunity for Mr van Olphen to talk to a young group of young people and it was great for the students to learn about this important topic,” she said. 

The team attended Crab Fest on the weekend, to learn even more about fishing in the Peel region, before flying back to Amsterdam on Sunday. 

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) recently created Australia's first ever Sustainable Seafood Week to encourage Australians to fish in a sustainable way.

MSC spokesperson said the way to recognise sustainable, wild caught seafood is by the blue fish tick on packaging.

“By simply opting for seafood products that bear the MSC blue fish tick, Australians will surely help keep our oceans teeming with life for future generations,” the spokesperson said.

To learn more about the Fish Tales cause, visit website: http://www.fish-tales.com/en/.