FISH TAXIDERMY

My name is Rod Gardiner. I was taught the craft of taxidermy
as a Melbourne teenager, 35 years past, and the last 16 years
exclusively marine taxidermy.

I have stuffed fish and crocodiles for Nth Queensland tourist
bureaus, snakes for the Ingham ambulance service, ‘road kill’
for Parks and Wildlife, but I enjoy working for people who fish,
I enjoy preserving memories.

My type of taxidermy is traditional old style ‘museum’ type,
I work with the skin of the fish as practised for hundreds of years.
I have heard it said that it does not last but that is relative to what
you consider to be a long time, many museums have specimens
that were stuffed in the 19th century – it depends on how you
look after your trophy.

I have been told that stuffed fish shrink – IMPOSSIBLE. When I
worked in Melbourne years ago (we did mostly trout) as the fisherman
presented his fish it was placed on a sheet of white butchers paper and
an outline pencilled around the fish and signed by the fisherman. When
the fish was finished about 10 weeks later the paper outline was included
in the package to prevent the cry – ‘It shrunk’.
Having a beer in a rural Queensland pub that happened to have a good
size cod on display, ( I had stuffed the cod about 8 years previous) a local
caught me checking out the fish and explained that a mate of his caught it,
breaking all local records, but, of course it had shrunk a bit over the years!

THIS IS HOW IT IS DONE

1. A body form for your fish is carefully and accurately hand carved from
a block of white foam to the exact shape of your fish.
2. With meticulous care your fish is completely skinned from lips to tail.
The skin is tanned and wet-fitted to the body form. Fins are extended
and pinned. Your fish is then left to set.
3. The throat is filled, glass eyes are fitted, the body is colour toned and varnished.
4. The fish is screwed to a board for display.

This is traditional museum taxidermy. It is skilled, concentrated
and very slow. The finished result is three- dimensional and
looks ready to swim!

The only maintenance your trophy requires is to remove the
dust with a damp cloth if required.

I received many enquiries from people wanting to buy mounted fish,
usually people looking to decorate a business premises. They presume
I fibreglass fish. The examples of moulded fish I have seen look good
but you could not mistake them for the real thing. They look ‘decorative’.

I stuff real fish, your fish, one off, can’t be duplicated.
A memory preserved buy reality.

WHEN YOU CATCH THAT FISH

Wrap the fish in a plastic bag and place it in a freezer.

To discuss your specific needs give me a call on

0428544841