Who is the fisherman on our packaging?
You'll notice that there's always a fisherman on our packaging. These are real fishermen. Not a model, not an AI-generated face, but someone who actually works at sea and fishes for the species in your hand. So... did he or she catch your fish? Maybe – but not always. The fisherman on our can is our ambassador: he/she represents all of his/her fishing colleagues. In this blog, we will explain why we find this so important.
A Face to Your Fish
The world of fish is often anonymous. You buy a can, but who caught the fish and how exactly it was done usually remains a secret. At Fish Tales, we do things differently. We know the origin of our fish all the way back to the fishery - and that's unique. We choose to show this traceability with a fisherman from said fishery. Not to say that that specific person literally caught your fish, but because we want you to taste, smell, feel, and see with your own eyes how the fishery functions. How wonderful it is when the fisherman himself can tell that story personally and with passion for their craft.
Thus the fisherman symbolizes the entire community of fishermen who work in the same way.
Glein and the fleet on one of their ships
Glein and the Bitung community
Take for example, Glein from Bitung, Indonesia. He catches tuna with a pole and line – a traditional method where fish is sustainably caught one by one. Glein is on our packaging as an ambassador for no fewer than five boats with a total of a hundred fishermen who all work with the same method. So it's quite possible that the tuna in your can was caught by him, but it could just as well have been caught by one of his colleagues.
What matters to us is that you can see who is behind the production of your fish. Not an anonymous chain, but real people who understand their craft and keep their community going.
Glein and our impact manager Irene
Irene: The Voice Between Fishermen and Consumers
An important role in this company is played by Irene, our impact manager. As a marine biologist, she literally speaks the language of fishermen. She knows the challenges of the ocean, but also the culture of the communities that depend on fishing. Irene travels the world and has personally visited most of our fisheries. She listens to the fishermen's stories, learns their knowledge, and translates this into how we convey our story to you.
Sometimes we haven't (yet) visited the fishery. In such cases, we carefully choose an ambassador together with the fishery - Always someone who has been fishing at sea for years.
More Than a Can
Consequently, the fisherman on the packaging is not a marketing trick, but a symbol of our promise. It shows that eating fish can be a choice that is good for you, the ocean, and for fishing communities worldwide.
Also, give the QR code on your can a scan, and you'll discover even more stories from the fishermen!