Bob Brown, the owner of Brown’s Taxidermy, started stuffing birds and other animals back in the 1970s, but he quickly realized mounting fish for people making big catches on chartered boats here in Florida was a more lucrative business.
At first, he said he did taxidermy the old-school way.
“A lot of times when they would bring us fish, we were just beginning, so we would make molds off of the original fish, which entailed taking the guts out of the fish and stuffing it back with some sawdust so it would take its shape again, then we would pose it in sand, put Plaster of Paris around the edges, once that plaster dries, we would actually fiberglass the fish.”
Once the fiberglass mold was finished they would throw out the fish, create a replica, and then mount that for their clients.
Now after decades of working in the business, Brown said he has accumulated about five thousand molds. So, instead of having fishermen bring in their catch, they can just take a picture, measure the fish, and send him the details.
After that Brown and his sons get to work. They create the shape, paint, seal and mount the fish replicas, then ship them all over the world.
Brown said his new way of doing business is gaining in popularity for many reasons.
“It’s been a big selling point for conservation these days with the dwindling of the fish stocks,” he said.
His business plan allows people to preserve their memories when they are doing catch-and-release fishing. Brown said he plans to pass his business, located just across the street from the port at Cape Canaveral, down to his sons.
To learn more about Brown’s Taxidermy check out Florida’s Fourth Estate.
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