Meet The Fisherman: Douglas Olander

Douglas Olander tells how he brings black drum from boat to table. (Photo credit: Roxanne Graham)

For Douglas Olander, owner of Big D’s Seafood in St. Mary Parish, fishing the waters of coastal Louisiana is a way of life. Working alongside his wife Chrystel and their sons, life on the water is a passion and a career path. For almost twenty years, Douglas has built his business into a successful venture. Shrimping, fishing, processing, and providing dock services, Big D’s Seafood does it all.

Docked at the Port of West St. Mary, the Miss Chrystel fishes for shrimp out of Vermilion Bay. (Photo credit: Roxanne Graham)

While shrimping is at the heart of the business, black drum is Douglas’ specialty, and he has grown to become one of the largest commercial suppliers of black drum to the wholesale market. His fish are all wild-caught, and harvested sustainably using trout lines. Many processors based in Louisiana turn to Douglas for bringing in the catch of this much sought-after finfish.

Filling the Vermilion Bay Sweet packaging with black drum fillets, Douglas is now reaching home cooks everywhere. (Photo credit: George Graham)

And Douglas now supplies black drum for the branded Vermilion Bay Sweet product line of Louisiana Direct Seafood. Filleted or on the half shell, the fish is vacuum-packed and flash-frozen for home cooks locally or shipped across the country. Douglas describes the taste as sweet and the texture as flaky—better than redfish. If you live in Acadiana, you can pick up the Vermilion Bay Sweet Black Drum directly from Douglas’ Big D’s Seafood or in three retail locations: The Market at Broussard Commons in Broussard, at Gonsoulin Farm Store in Loreauville or from Josh Boudreaux of Southern Seafood based on Hwy 90 between New Iberia and Broussard, LA,

Be sure to connect with Douglas and many more coastal Louisiana fishermen by accessing the Louisiana Direct Seafood website. It’s a free service, and it’s nice to know that you are helping to support the many fishing families that are the foundation of our Louisiana seafood industry.

Douglas Olander
Big D’s Seafood
459 Alice B Road
Franklin LA 70538
337-924-8115
bigdsseafoodinc@yahoo.com

This Boat-To-Table series of stories, recipes, and information about our seafood industry is brought to you in support of Louisiana Direct Seafood, a free program of Louisiana Sea Grant and LSU Ag Center.

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