Women of the Water Making Inroads in a Bay Full of Men
by Duffy Perkins
For many of us, life in the Chesapeake Bay watershed is a cultural identity. From learning to fish and crab as children, to monitoring water quality, to taking the boat out as an adult, the Chesapeake Bay unites our community as much as rooting for the Orioles or watching the Blue Angels. According to NOAA Fisheries, our bay is home to 18 million people and produces 500 million pounds of seafood a year. The Bay provides about 34,000 jobs, such as “watermen, commercial trade, tourism, and recreation,” (fisheries.noaa.gov). Nationally, just under 10 percent of the total population of fishermen are, in fact, fisher women. The Motherlode spoke with three local women who are making a living on the water.
SUMMER 2024 | 15
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