Ashley Mullenger - The Female Fisherman

I bet you’re familiar with the famous saying, "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." by Confucius.

Ashley Mullenger, Britain’s first Female Fisherman of the Year, has been living the best life. She quits her office job to work full-time on her Fair Lass and Saoirse.

If you’re curious about who Fair Lass is, it is the day boat used by Ashley throughout her sustainable fishing career. Look how they look good together as partners!

Fair Lass was built in 1970. It is an 11-meter Scottish boat perfect for Ashley’s daily voyage at sea. Ashley believed that boats like Fair Lass which were made of wood have character. During a rough patch, Ashley would go down to the engine and talk to Fair Lass. And when things are doing good, she won’t forget to sing praises.

A scene we typically saw from a mother to her daughter, and a daughter to her best friend. She and Fair Lass are indeed partners!

She also uses another boat that is a bit modern called Saoirse.

Ashley discovered her passion for fishing in the summer of 2009 during her trip to Wells with her friends on a boat. After that event, Ashley kept on coming back.

Ashley was working as an office manager for an engineering company when she decided to take up fishing. She is a Norfolk woman who has become an international success story.

She’s been featured in various newspapers and was interviewed around the UK. For a glimpse of her interview with BBC and Good Morning Britain, here are the short clips posted on her Instagram account.

If you’d like to read more about our female fisherwoman, you may visit these articles published by The Grocer and Mail+ UK.

With over 9k Instagram followers, Ashley uses her social media platforms to educate other fishermen regarding sustainability. Also, she is eager to encourage more women of all ages to overcome their fears and get involved in the industry. Follow Ashley on her Instagram account to be updated on her life events. And for the girlies out there, you’ll indeed be motivated and inspired after seeing those photos and watching those clips on the account!

The first time in history that a woman has been crowned 'Fisherman of the Year' in the Fishing News Awards is a great moment for women in the male-dominated industry. Ashley was awarded the prize at last year's ceremony.

She is a trailblazer, the first woman to win the prestigious award. There are indeed no barriers for women in fishing.

It reflects that men and women have the same capabilities, gender is not a hindrance nor a reason for you not to achieve that goal.

Ashley’s surprises do not end there. If you love to binge-watch documentaries on Netflix, you must be familiar with the Seaspiracy. It’s a documentary released showing the devastating impact of the fishing industry on marine life and the oceans.

The film highlights the consequences of overfishing and uncovers how our appetite for seafood continues to threaten the well-being of marine ecosystems and ultimately all life on Earth.

Ashley was interviewed at This Morning together with Seaspiracy’s filmmaker. Ashley shares her insight regarding the possibility of sustainable fishing.

You may watch the whole interview here.

For the last 12 years, she has been sailing at Wells-next-the-Sea in North Norfolk, spending most of her days at the shellfish port.

Ashley’s team is focused on catching whelks with Fair Lass. Look at the number of whelks behind Ashley!

Aside from whelks, they also used Saoirse when catching other crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters.
You may see these unique lobsters in blue as you visit Ashley’s Instagram (@thefemalefisherman). Very cool, right?

But do you want to know what Ashley’s favorite to catch among these whelks, crabs, and lobsters? It is these Mackerels! She even arranged it to look like a crown and you should not miss the proud expression. Our female fisherman did a great job!

In filleting these fresh mackerels, Ashley uses Syosaku’s Deba knife

The Deba is a single-bevel knife and is ideal for breaking down fish into usable components. The weight of the blade makes it easy to break through the bones in fish; however, the blade is delicate and should not be used on hard materials such as bones from chicken or beef.

To make it more special, we engraved the words “女漁師” in Japanese characters which means ‘the female fisherman’ on the blade.

Syosaku will engrave your name, initials, or favorite word on your new knife. Our master Japanese engravers use years of traditional skills and techniques to create a stunning personalized touch on your new Deba knife. The characters are hand-hammered one by one into the blade of your new knife with master craftsmanship.

This knife is perfect for Ashley’s Mackerel! A fresh catch fish paired with an authentic Japanese knife is a combo everyone should have. Everyone should experience the ease of cutting using this Deba Knife, especially all the fish lovers out there.