As a woman in the fisheries field, it can be hard to take a break. Students or early career professionals may feel like any pause in their work will put them too far behind their peers. More established scientists have too many responsibilities to comfortably sneak away for a week or so while the work piles up. To add to the difficulty, many of us do our field work during prime summer vacation times so taking time off means missing out on vital data. It’s tricky to balance the situation, but a balance needs to be struck! Continue reading to see some ways that women of fisheries took time off this summer.
PhD Student: Alex Norelli (My Story!)
My vacation timing was terrible this summer. As a tropical tuna researcher, I regularly participate in the yearly stock assessments for tropical tunas hosted by the International Commission for Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT). The major stock assessment for bigeye tuna happened to coincide with the two weeks my family was renting a house in Rhode Island. I could have chosen to take a break at any other point in the summer, miss out on Rhode Island, and give the ICCAT meeting 100% of my attention. I decided to go to Rhode Island anyway and virtually attend the ICCAT meeting from 6am-10:30am every morning.
Rhode Island was gorgeous! We had fantastic weather the whole time, the beach never got too crowded, and I ate all the seafood I could dream of. The bigeye meeting went well too! I got to report on the Stock Synthesis model which was a challenging experience but totally worth it. At the end of the meeting each day I would throw on a bathing suit and head right to the beach. I tried to be in bed by 10pm every night so I would be well rested for the early morning start.
Did I strike a balance? Probably not. I’m back at work now and while I don’t feel as burnt out as I did before vacation I am still struggling with focus. My advice: when you’re planning a longer vacation try to unplug completely, if you can’t, try to take off a few long weekends that work better with your schedule. The above picture was from a long weekend fishing trip where I was totally out-of-office. Short, fulfilling breaks are better than nothing!
Established Scientist: Anonymous
This is a cautionary tale sent in by an anonymous WoF member who wished to remind other women it is okay to leave toxic work environments especially when your employer is no longer respecting your need for a break.
In the middle of Covid, I was getting pretty stressed. I asked for three weeks off. I have never asked for three weeks off in my entire career. Sadly, I am typically the definition of a workaholic. I easily had the time coming to me. I likely had more than six weeks of vacation time remaining for the later half of the year, since I had not taken all of my vacation the year before too. My firm said that it showed a lack of leadership to even ask for three weeks in a row, even though I had already cleared it with my staff and ensured that I had proper coverage on my projects. I explained to my boss that I needed the extra time because my work anxiety had reached a level that left me feeling concerned about my health. My doctors were even considering putting me under emergency care in the hospital. Even with this explanation my boss only berated me further. I am extremely competent at my job, and led an entire team. I have never dealt with anxiety in my life before this. It was too much, so I made 3 phone calls and received 2 immediate offers from firms that were far more concerned with a healthy work and life balance. It was a very good decision to leave, but a very hard one to make at the time, since I was very loyal to my team. I would like to share my experience with other women, but I’m responding to your message anonymously since I believe a public response would sadly come with legal implications. However, I encourage all female professionals to stand up for themselves and prioritize their health and well-being.
While this story may not feel relevant if you’re not in a toxic environment, it’s important to remember even in a healthy environment you need to recognize the signs of burnout and advocate for yourself when you need a break. If you haven’t taken a break yet this summer, maybe take a step back from the lab bench and computer and assess how you’re feeling.
Reflections from Facebook
After chatting with other Women of Fisheries on the Facebook page, it is very clear that we have a variety of tastes and preferences when it comes to taking a vacation.
Some women decided to spend time away from the environment they research. Women of Fisheries board member and established fisheries scientist Kerry Flaherty Walia commented:
“We did a family road trip to the Southwest (camping in west Texas and visiting Las Cruces), no ocean in sight and lots of desert beauty!”
Kerry wasn’t the only one getting away with family. Another board member, Chelsey Crandall escaped to the North Carolina mountains to enjoy some cool weather with her family! Meanwhile, WoF Social Media Committee member, Lynn Mattes found herself hiking in 100-105℉ degree heat when she visited Oregon’s John Day National Fossil Beds.
Many of us didn’t put the waders back on the rack and went right back out on boats or into rivers to enjoy some quality fishing time without scientific goals. Selina Heppell caught a massive Chinook salmon, pictured below. Marybeth Brey took her nephew fly fishing while on a road trip to another fisheries lady’s wedding. I also had a lot of fun trolling for Mahi-Mahi on a charter boat with my family. Fisheries scientists that enjoy fishing definitely turn their hobby into a job, but that doesn’t mean they don’t revisit the hobby!
There were a lot of happy emojis and likes in this thread as Women of Fisheries members celebrated time off! It was great to see what everyone has been up to this summer, and hopefully this shows that even the hardest working fisheries women take time off!