An ocean of opportunities: the women transforming the blue economy

The coastal region of Aquitaine in southwestern France is known for its sand dunes, fine Bordeaux wines and delicious seafood.

Maïder Taudin is a fishmonger at La Poissonnerie de l’Aiguillonin in Arcachon. The family-run fishmonger sells all kinds of raw and cooked fish, molluscs and crustaceans. She says many customers who come into the shop ask for the fish skin to be removed.

"We take the skin off the fish, because in general, people don't eat it, especially when cooking fillets - so the skins go in the bin, we don't use them for anything."

But one woman's trash is another woman’s treasure. A few years ago, local entrepreneur Marielle Philip began using the skins to make fish leather. She picked up the ancient Nordic tradition from her mother, collecting the unwanted byproduct to produce hides.

“In Aquitaine, there is a big seafront, there is the Arcachon Bay - a lot of fish is consumed here. There is aquaculture, especially trout farming. So why not upcycle the waste from this sector - the fish skins - and transform them into leather?”

From her small workshop, Marielle harnesses raw skins that have been discarded by fish shops and wholesalers.

“The process is quite long. It takes about two weeks to go from the raw skin to dyed and finished leather. The skins are soaked several times - going in tanning and colouring baths, and then they undergo a mechanical treatment - they are flattened and stretched, attaining better flexibility and a certain finesse ... During the process, we only use crushed plants, no other chemicals, so it’s quite environmentally friendly."

To finish Marielle presses the leather, adding varnish and glitter.

“It's the same as classic leather. The only difference is that there’s a scaled pattern - just