How We Tick: Meet Dylan Skinns

How We Tick: Meet Dylan Skinns
December 20, 2016

The team at Austral is made up of some really great people. From our eco- friendly CEO, David Carter, to the awesome crews manning our ships; we are so grateful to have them all on board. One of our team members, Dylan Skinns, is our sales and marketing manager. Dylan has been with Austral Fisheries for 14 years and brings a lot to the team. Below is a little Q&A he did with the Marine Stewardship Council. Have a read to see how we tick, and find out why we are so chuffed to have people like Dylan at Austral Fisheries.

GETTING ON DECK
Q&A with Dylan Skinns, Sales & Marketing Manager, Austral Fisheries

Q: What prompted Austral Fisheries to use the MSC eco label?
A: Historically toothfish had a bad reputation for being illegally fished which had flow-on effects for legal operators selling on international markets. Restaurants took the fish off menus, supermarkets removed it from the window and buyers couldn’t trust the paperwork and origin from where the fish was delivered from. We turned to the MSC to provide independent certification for our legal catch and prove to end users the toothfish they were buying from Austral Fisheries came from a fishery that met the MSC’s sustainability standard.

Q: How important is sustainability to your customers?
A: Sustainability used to be a buzz word but now it’s like seat belts in a car. It’s the core of our business, it’s an industry standard and what our customers expect. Initially our clients in USA demanded third party certification, but now all markets care about sustainability and see value in eco labelling. And it’s not just seafood importers and distributors, increasingly consumers want to know more about where their food comes from, and are thinking about seafood sustainability. Using the MSC eco-label on packaging gives the entire supply chain through to end user confidence the product came from a sustainable well managed fishery.

Q: What advice would you give to other fisheries or brands thinking about MSC certification?
A: Lots of fisheries are now certified, but their stakeholders don’t maximise the full potential of the MSC eco label. I would encourage businesses to obtain Chain of Custody certification which can open up fantastic linkages with other sales channels around the world. It provides assurances around substitution and strengthens the trust between buyer and seller. And do use the MSC eco label, make you sure you display it prominently on your packaging, following the MSC guidelines. The MSC label has worldwide recognition, new buyers will find you, make sure they know you are part of the team!