The Importance of Leather: How Fish Skin Leather Can Help Reduce Waste in a Seafood System
Leather is ubiquitous - it can be found and used in almost any application such as fashion, upholstery, sports, machinery, automotive, aviation, etc [2, 6]. It is a natural and durable material, among other things. Leather can also be made from virtually any animal, including fish. However, fish skin leather currently only accounts for <1% of global leather sales [5].
I started my leatherworking journey 2 years ago after applying my do-it-yourself mentality to an apron I saw online. I became enamored with the idea of making complex products entirely with hand tools. My ties to leather have also been in my blood even before I discovered leatherworking, as my maternal grandfather owned a leather tannery in Vietnam. My attention to detail has helped me hone my craft, but I wanted to find my niche and eventually found it in marine based leathers.
The world’s oldest leather shoe, estimated to be 5,500 years old, was found in an Armenian cave in 2008, preserved with sheep dung. Image courtesy of National Geographic.
Leather and the practice of tanning leather has existed for over 7,000 years, first developed by the Egyptians and Hebrews in 400 BCE [4]. Early peoples used leather hides as protection from the elements, constructing clothing, footwear, and shelter. The hides were a valuable byproduct of the wild animals they hunted for food, and hides remain a byproduct of the meat industry to this day [2].
Fish skin leather and dried fish skin held historical and cultural importance in indigenous fishing communities, having been commonplace in coastal and riverine cultures. In the 20th century, the practice of tanning fish skin fell into obscurity due to colonialism and assimilation. Much of the history of fish skin leather is unknown because it does not preserve well archaeologically, and it was likely considered the poor man’s leather since even unskilled hunters could catch fish [6].
Fish skin leather served as an early form of Gore-Tex, today’s waterproof and breathable fabric. The material itself is strong and water resistant. The texture is scaly, reminiscent of snakeskin, with no odor of fish [6]. It is thin, but is actually nine times stronger than lamb and cow leather of similar thicknesses due to the skin’s crisscross fibers, rather than the parallel fibers that run across lamb or cowhide [5].
Salmon skin leather, glazed (black) and matte (green). Image courtesy of Cynthia Hsia.
Fish skin is a byproduct of the seafood industry that is often thrown away. For every 2,000 pounds of filleted fish, 88 pounds of fish skin is discarded into landfills or thrown back into the ocean, or they are repurposed into animal feed or fertilizer. At scale, in 2015, humans globally consumed 150 million tons of filleted fish, equivalent to 6 million tons of skins [6].
High-profile luxury brands have only experimented with using fish skin leather, including Nike, Prada, Christian Dior, and Louis Vuitton [6]. In 2018, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations promoted fish skin leather as part of its Blue Growth initiative in order to support fishing communities worldwide [5, 6].
In Kenya, the invasive Nile perch (Lates niloticus) is found in Lake Turkana, the world’s largest desert lake. They can grow as large as six feet long, and the leather sells for $5 per square foot. Creating a new revenue stream for the fishing community has allowed the local fishermen to get 30% more for each fish they sell [5].
Similarly in the Amazon River basin, pirarucu (Arapaima gigas), the largest freshwater fish in the world, can grow up to nearly 10 feet long. Arapaima leather typically sells for $500 per skin (an average of 8 square feet, about $60 per square foot), and is most commonly used in Western boots. Currently, the most commonly used species for fish skin leather are salmon, tilapia, carp, perch, and pirarucu.
Part of the Fishful Future initiative is dedicated to investigating the economic potential and feasibility of a robust fish skin supply chain between local San Diego seafood processors and US exotic leather tanneries. The focus is primarily bigeye tuna but also includes other high-value highly migratory species (HMS).
Key pieces made out of fish skin leather, made by Giovanni Rose Handcrafted Creations. Image courtesy of Cynthia Hsia.
Efforts include testing the durability of current fish skin leather on the market, collaborating with Melanie Maggio, founder of Jacto Jewelry, to create a DIY tanning guide, and working with the oldest and largest US exotic leather tannery to determine the economic feasibility of tanning fish skin in the US.
The majority of fish skin leather is tanned overseas and is from farmed freshwater species. Sustainably sourced leather from US wild-caught HMS species can increase value to local fishermen and divert seafood waste. Fish skin leather can and should become more commonplace in mass produced items, luxury products, and the leatherworking world. Because fish skins are smaller in size and volume than most other leathers, depending on how it is tanned, leather is produced on a much smaller scale and requires fewer to no harsh chemicals [6].
Establishing a US-based fish skin leather supply chain will not come without its challenges. The idea of fish skin leather can be off-putting to those unfamiliar with the material. Many fish are also sold whole or as skin-on fillets in seafood markets, and removing skins without holes will require additional staff and expertise [6].
In recent years, there has also been a push by animal rights and environmental groups to move away from leather and exotic leathers. Synthetic leather (marketed as “vegan leather,” “faux leather,” “PU leather,” “pleather”) is plastic-based, but has risen in popularity. On a smaller scale, eco-friendly leather (cactus, apple, elephant leaf) has recently emerged as alternatives to animal leather.
Although there is merit to these eco-friendly alternatives, avoiding animal-based leather ignores the issue of waste in the meat and seafood industry. The reality is that since 1961, the annual rate of increase of seafood consumption has outpaced population growth and land-based proteins, except poultry [3]. The US alone is the second largest consumer of seafood in the world, [1] so diverting waste by utilizing existing byproducts is crucial.
To follow along with more fish skin leather updates from Fishful Future, follow @giovannirose.creations on Instagram.
Sources
[1] FAO. 2018. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 - Meeting the sustainable development goals. Rome. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
[2] Moore & Giles (n.d.). History of Leather.
[3] National Marine Fisheries Service (2018) Fisheries of the United States, 2017. U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Current Fishery Statistics No. 2017.
[4] Rafferty, J.P. (n.d.). Leather. Britannica.
[5] Timmins, B (2019, May 1). Meet the fish leather pioneers. BBC News.
[6] Williams, C (2020, April 28). The Art of Turning Fish into Leather. Hakai Magazine.
