I learned to fish almost as soon as I could walk. It was my first connection to the ocean and it’s how I learned to respect and appreciate our natural environment and all that it provides. Looking back now, it’s what inspired me to study the ocean and devote my career to its conservation.
Despite growing up fishing, being Brown and female — particularly on Florida’s Gulf Coast — meant the collective term “fishermen” rarely applied to me. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve had to defend my purchase choices at a tackle store or turn down patronizing offers to help:
“No, I’m not buying a gift for my boyfriend/dad/brother and yes, I can handle my own boat and bait my own hook, thank you.”
Once, when I went to get fingerprinted for a job piloting boats, they didn’t even have a demographic category that fit me. The employee told me that she would just put “unknown.” How many others have fallen through the cracks of representation in fishing — unknown, unheard and unrepresented?
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