'I'm a fisherMAN': First woman to win top award rejects 'woke' demands
‘I choose to identify as a fisherMAN’: First woman to win top angling award rejects ‘woke’ demands to swap term for ‘fisherpeople’ or ‘fishers’ to make it more inclusive of females or transgender people
- Ashley Mullenger was named under ten-metre fisherman of the year last week
- But she dismisses calls for fisherman to be referred to by gender-neutral terms
- Instead, she has penned an open letter defending the use of the term ‘fisherman’
- Comes after the BBC sparked used’ fisherpeople’ in November 2020 news report
The first woman to win a top angling award says she identifies as a fisherman and has rejected ‘woke’ demands to swap the term for fisherpeople’ or ‘fishers’ to make the industry more inclusive of females or transgender people.
Ashley Mullenger, 35, won the award at the industry recognised Fishing News Awards last week – the first woman to be awarded the honour for under ten-metre boats since it began in its current form six years ago.
But she has dismissed calls for those working in the fishing industry to be referred to by gender-neutral terms such as ‘fisherpeople’, ‘fisherfolk’ or ‘fishers’ in order to promote inclusivity.
Mrs Mullenger, who has commercially fished around the Norfolk coast since 2018, had instead penned an open letter defending the use of the word ‘fisherman’.
The letter has been written alongside apprentice skipper Isla Gale, 17, and Dorset-based angler Mollie Smart – both of whom were also nominated for the award.
Mrs Mullenger told The Telegraph: ‘Sometimes you run the risk of this whole woke culture, but actually I choose to identify as a fisherman.
‘It’s definitely the case that most of the women I know in this industry would rather identify as a fisherman rather than fisher or fisherwoman. The word “fisher” is vile.’
And explaining the decision to write the letter, she continued: ‘It’s a very traditional job that’s been done for hundreds of years mainly by men and we’re really proud to have that title and also we don’t want to take away from the hard work that men have done to build this industry in the first place.
Ashley Mullenger (pictured) became the first woman to be awarded the honour for under ten-metre boats at the Fishing News Awards last week
But she has dismissed calls for fisherman to be referred to by gender-neutral terms such as ‘fisherpeople’
Mrs Mullenger details her career in the fishing industry on her Instagram account, The Female Fisherman
‘It’s better and healthier to normalise women in this space. We shout about the support and encouragement that we get from the men.’
It comes after the BBC sparked a new ‘woke’ row by using the term ‘fisherpeople’ in a November 2020 news report.
Listeners tuning into Radio 4’s Today programme were irked when Europe editor Katya Adler used the gender neutral description during a package on Brexit talks.
Mrs Mullenger joined the backlash at the time, saying she only knew of six women also doing her job in the UK.
Her stance on the issue is backed by Fishing News, which has said it has no plans to alter its terminology.
It comes after a poll by the publication found skippers want to keep the current terms.
Despite only a small minority of women working in fishing, Mrs Mullenger says she industry is ‘not sexist at all’ and she has seen ‘really positive’ growth since she began in 2018.
Her Instagram account The Female Fisherman, which details her fishing ventures, currently has more than 7,500 followers.
She says she has seen a ‘really positive’ growth of women in fishing since she joined the industry in 2018
Her stance on the issue is backed by Fishing News, which has said it has no plans to alter its terminology
Mrs Mullenger pictured hard at work on her crew’s fishing vessel. She has been commercially fishing off the Norfolk coast since 2018
She added: ‘The industry is not sexist at all – don’t get me wrong there are improvements that could be made for women in the industry, it’s very hard to find commercial gear that fit women such as life jackets when you have a big chest, but the attitude towards women in the industry is very supportive.’
Reacting to news of her award on Instagram last week, Mrs Mullenger said she was ‘rendered speechless’ to be recognised in an industry ‘dominated by men’.
Her post continued: ‘I will continue to speak up for the fishing industry as long as there is someone to listen… this job can be hard but the rewards are priceless…’
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