Fish Lives: Women in the Fishing Industry

Helen Doe specialises in maritime history. She has published extensively including Enterprising Women and Shipping in the Nineteenth Century. Her latest book is One Crew, the book to mark the bicentenary of the RNLI. Helen gained her PhD at the University of Exeter where she taught for some years. She is a government advisor to the National Historic Ships and Chair of the British Commission for Maritime History. She has appeared regularly on television and radio.

Hattie Ellis is an author who writes about the production and culture of food. Her books include the award-winning Best of British Fish, a collection of stories and recipes, What to Eat: 10 Chewy Questions about Food and Sweetness & Light: The Mysterious History of the Honeybee. Her work in broadcast, print and digital media focuses on understanding the issues that converge on our plates and practical ways to eat sustainably.

Femmes de la Mer are a group of women hailing from across Cornwall. Each individual member brings a unique sound to the group, yet it’s their blend of a cappella voices that has gained them recognition amongst the folk and sea shanty communities. Led by musical director, Claire Ingleheart, this women+ group are known for their rich harmonies and bold interpretations of well known traditional songs as well as newly written shanties celebrating the lives and stories of Cornish women. After launching their first album, Today’s Haul, a beautiful collection of shanties and songs of the sea, they recently appeared on the latest BBC series of Rick Stein’s Cornwall and BBC Radio 2’s The Mark Radcliffe Folk Show.

Ashley Mullenger is a commercial fisherman working off the North Norfolk coast. She is one of the few women working in the industry and was named 'Fisherman of the Year' in 2022. Advocating for better representation and equality in the industry (only 2% of crew members are women), as well as raising awareness of issues the fishing communities are facing, she has built a following on social media: 10k Instagram followers and 6k on TikTok. She shows daily life in fishing and encourages others to take up the profession. Ashley’s memoir, My Fishing Life: A Story of the Sea was published in 2024.

The British Library Food Season returns for its seventh year, bringing together some of the most influential names in food, drink, hospitality, literature and science, for a series of events that highlight the stories, the politics and the people behind how and why we eat. Discover more Food Season events. 

There are a range of concessions available. These include discounts for British Library Members, half-price tickets for students and under 26s, free entry for carers as well as a number of other concessions.

Please note that this event takes place at Pavilion Theatre on the piazza of the British Library, London.

Please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event.  If you have specific access requirements please email customer@bl.uk