BESHLIE POOL, EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT SOUTH DEVON & CHANNEL SHELLFISHERMEN LTD

Beshlie Pool, Executive Officer at South Devon & Channel Shellfishermen Ltd. Fish Focus celebrates women in seafood in our latest publication.

Growing up by the sea in a small harbour town where fishing boats were part of the everyday fabric of life would lead me, like many, towards a career with the sea. From a generation who were encouraged outside, as a child I was offered a ‘job’ picking shore crabs out of the nets of the salmon men who worked the river. I was a little frightened of crabs back then – but it was a way to stop me getting under the feet of the local fishing community, who were all very patient and kind to an annoying little girl.

Cut through a few years of growing up, I was inspired to go back to university to study marine environmental management. During the studies, I became aware of a disconnect between the way I saw my local fishing community and how it was viewed by others. During a time when people had no qualms about calling fishermen ‘rapists of the sea’ – it felt important to me to formalise my support for our local community by joining the local fishing association. Such an anomaly back then, I was asked to leave my first meeting whilst the membership discussed whether I – a woman – could actually join. They agreed and went on to volunteer as secretary for the Association.

Next stop was joining the Marine and Fisheries Agency, as a Fishery Officer – a traditionally male role, which less than a handful of women had held before. There were some challenges in the early days – but fishermen tended to be more ambivalent about a woman being the inspector, except in the rare cases women were told they were bad luck aboard the boats. The main difficulties at that time were around suitability of PPE (most of it was designed for men) and generational expectations of women that led to some blatant sexism, including being questioned by colleagues on the ability to do the job whilst wearing lipstick.

Times have changed and continue to change. Whilst women have always been in and around fishing, historically we have been less visible than we are now. The UK Women in Fisheries (UKWIF) network, which I was involved in the founding of, aims to recognise and support women’s work in fishing and to increase visibility of the varied roles we hold within the wider UK fishing community. The team and members at UKWIF are successfully putting a spotlight on the fact that ‘girls can’ – and do – have a place within UK fishing, be that on the deck or behind the scenes.

Now at the helm of a long-standing fishing association (South Devon and Channel Shellfishermen Ltd), I am pleased to report that the community has never questioned how a woman could be passionate about fishing! There is something deeply satisfying about having reached a stage – both in life and within wider society – whereby I no longer have to justify my existence in the fisheries world.

The best advice for anyone with passion in life – fishing or otherwise – is do not give up. Keep doing what you believe in, keep showing up – even when it is hard. In fishing, you will find a community of people who are keen to offer their support and share their knowledge – and who will be some of the best friends you could ever ask for in life.

We will be posting each individual article on our website over the coming weeks, but you can read the complete issue in our publications section here.

If you are a women working in the seafood/marine industry and you would like to be part of our next issue of Women in Seafood, or if you know of someone who you think should be, please contact me at mary@fishfocus.co.uk

Main image: Credit, Ian Georgeson

Images: Beshlie Pool