Vol. 1, No. 4
Headline Back Issues Fall 1997
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Women's organizations anchor fishing communities Gulf of Maine -- Scattered throughout the Gulf of Maine's fishing communities are groups of women bound to the sea and to each other by their livelihoods, families, or both. They are fishermen's wives, women from fishing communities, and women in maritime trades. Some women do fish or work as deck hands, crew members, or even skippers. Most people on the Gulf's waters, however, are men, many of whom rely on their wives to be their eyes and ears on land, keeping up with ever-changing government regulations, and ensuring the fisherman's voice is heard. The membership and community of each women's group colors its personality, defines its priorities, and resists generalization. Their concerns range from the home-port to the national scale. Some struggle to stay intact given busy schedules, geographical distance, lack of funds, and in the case of New Hampshire's fishing community an individualism that overrides the inclination to join groups. But other groups describe their bond as natural and undeniable. US issues create momentum A specific issue or circumstance frequently inspires women in fishing communities to join forces, then motivates them to find other reasons to stay together. This was the case with Maine Fishermen's Wives, according to co-president Yvette Alexander. Fishermen, at sea for days at a time, couldn't keep up with rapid-fire changes in fishing regulations during the 1970s, so their wives began to do it, and have been meeting ever since, Alexander said. More recently, Mid-Coast Maine Fishermen's Wives formed when National Marine Fisheries Service proposed lobster gear regulations last spring, and then decided to expand its scope. President Sarah Brewer said the group wants to help elderly fishing retirees. It also plans to organize health screenings for fishermen, and to represent them at meetings on management issues. "Fishermen don't work on a nine-to-five schedule. If you have a meeting on a beautiful day with no wind, no one can come. They've got to work to feed their families," she said. Women in Deer Isle and Stonington, two neighboring towns that share an island at the mouth of Maine's Penobscot Bay, organized to build a memorial to fishermen who drowned at sea, said Susan Oliver, niece of one of the victims and president of the resulting group, the Island Fishermen's Wives Association. Once the memorial was finished, the group got involved in other pursuits, including helping to organize an annual Maine Fishermen's Forum. Working with numerous organizations, the Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Association (GFWA) in Massachusetts helped develop an affordable health care program for the state's fishing families. "It's supposed to be a pilot program, but it's already started the wheels turning in other states," said GFWA President Angela Sanfilippo. But some groups fizzle without a uniting cause. Shareen Davis, Chair of the Chatham Fishermen's Wives Coalition on Cape Cod, said the group formed in 1991 to persuade officials to dredge the local harbor, then lost members after the issue was resolved. But, she said, "When an issue comes along that addresses the entire community, I see us being a power base again." It is a wonder that women in fishing communities have time to meet at all. Those who don't fish themselves often handle the land side of the family fishing business, sometimes in addition to another job. Many care for their children alone for days, weeks, even months at a time while their partners are at sea. "A lot of people have signed up or joined, but don't attend all the meetings," said Pam Bridges, president of Downeast Fishermen's Wives, in Winter Harbor, Maine. Seafaring sisterhood While Maine Fishermen's Wives Secretary Maggie Raymond believes women "have to be extraordinary to get a position on a boat," at least on the East coast, others have found a relatively supportive environment for women at sea. Jennie Bichrest, who refers to herself as a former lobsterman from Cundys Harbor, Maine, said the men in her small fishing community were helpful and supportive of her fishing. Even so, she joined the Seattle-based Women's Maritime Association. "It was very nice to be able to talk to them about women's issues because it definitely is a man's world," she said. Another Seattle-based group, the Women's Fisheries Network (WFN), brings together women working in diverse maritime careers. "Our charter dictates that we cannot be politically active, so we bring issues to the attention of the members and allow all sides to present their case. It's more of an informative thing," explained fishery biologist Linda DesPres, a member and past vice president of WFN's northeast chapter. Gulf women share concerns US and Canadian fishing families in the Gulf are grappling with the results of government programs intended to prevent or remedy over-fishing. Many coastal communities in both countries have little, if any economic alternative to fishing. But while US women are active in fishing industry policy issues, Canadian sources said this sort of engagement, though growing, is less widespread among women in the Maritimes. Groups of women in fishing communities have formed on the Gulf of St. Lawrence side of New Brunswick, though not on the Gulf of Maine side. But sociologist Lois Mitchell of Deer Island, New Brunswick, the wife of a fifth-generation fisherman who has done a bit of fishing herself, said some women seem interested in starting a women's offshoot of the Fundy North Fishermen's Association. "I would like to think women could play a key role in some of the negotiations with the government," said Mitchell. But, she explained, "In order to represent the fishermen well, we need to have a very firm grasp of the issues, and I'm not sure we do at this point." Mitchell said women on the New Brunswick side of the Bay of Fundy could organize to improve the image of fishing as an occupation. "Despite the fact that people are making a good living, the perception in the communities themselves is that there is no future in fishing," she said, asserting that her region is not experiencing the problems Nova Scotia and other Atlantic provinces are having as a result of the Canadian government's 1992 groundfish moratorium. US groups also see a need to promote commercial fishing to their neighbors. "It's amazing how little people know even people who live in coastal communities and see fishermen," said Raymond. Some groups also introduce consumers to plentiful, but unfamiliar species of fish with cooking demonstrations and cookbooks. Nova Scotia women spread "FishNet" In response to the Canadian government's 1992 closure of the cod fishery and the subsequent introduction of an unpopular compensation program, a group called Women's FishNet attempted to establish in each of the four Atlantic Provinces to address issues affecting women who fish or work as fish processors. All of the Atlantic provinces were affected by the moratorium, however, some areas haven't been able to support a Women's FishNet group, said Newfoundland sociologist Barbara Neis. Nova Scotia Women's FishNet is the only active FishNet group in the Gulf of Maine, with five offshoots in small coastal communities throughout the province, according to board member Mary DesRoches. She described women's organizations as long overdue in Maritime coastal communities, where, despite their important role in fisheries, women have not sat at the policy-making table. "It's an incredible amount of work that women do that is not recognized," from washing and painting buoys to bookkeeping and delivering lobsters, she said. "There's so many jobs that have to be done and the fishing person who goes to sea can't do them all because they would never be at sea." Nova Scotia Women's FishNet distributes a newsletter and organizes workshops, but lacks the financial resources to do much more to inform women about fishing issues, DesRoches said. "So many things in the fishing industry are changing and changing so rapidly," she observed. "We have to work and focus our energies on our communities and make connections between them so we have a stronger voice when we get to the policy level." But while DesRoches believes women's organizations can serve a purpose now, she hopes someday to see "men and women working side by side to achieve goals for the community," without a need for separate organizations. What's in a name? What do you call a woman who fishes? The Canadian government's official term is "fisher." The US uses "fisherman" or "fisher." Here are the opinions of some women who fish, have fished, or mingle with women who fish. "I don't know anybody who likes that fisher' title - the women I know who actually are fishing have no problem being called fishermen.' " Maggie Raymond "For me, fisherman' is fine, but some are adamant about calling it fisher. I don't think most people mean fisherman' derogatorily." Jenny Bichrest "Most people use fisher.' They've dropped man/woman thing. I usually go with fisherman." Joan Simms "Fishing women don't really mind being called fishermen. I don't. In light of all of the serious issues we're dealing with right now, it's an issue for academics, but its not really an issue for us. Fisherwomen' would probably be a good start to give women the recognition they haven't been getting." Mary DesRoches "If asked, I would say I fish.' Fisher is politically correct but it doesn't make sense to me and fisherwoman' sounds like fishmonger or fishwife." Shareen Davis |
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Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine