Initiatives

Women of Fisheries will be continuing and implementing the following initiatives to support and inspire our membership. If you are interested in joining committees related to these programs email us at women.of.fisheries@gmail.com.

Private Facebook Group for Women

Since July 2018, Women of Fisheries has administered a private Facebook Group as a safe space for women to share their struggles and successes and receive support from the community. Founded by 3 members, the group has grown to over 1,800 women from over 60 countries! Join us in the discussion!

Mentorship

In March 2020, we initiated a pilot mentorship program matching mentors and mentees based on shared experiences and career goals. The program started with an optional pre-survey to to evaluate the impact of mentorship programs like this on feelings of self-confidence, empowerment, and knowledge. Participation in the pilot program included 41 mentor-mentee matchups! Based on the results of a post-survey, we started a new program in 2022 called the “Fish Sister Matchup” to connect groups of 3-4 women (peers as well as mentors). These matchup groups are encouraged to engage in discussion with each other around common challenges, goals and ideas beyond the general support that the private group provides.

Book Club

Join our private Facebook group “Women of Fisheries Book Club“. The goal of this group is to engage our membership in great reads of books of interest and continue discussions about challenges and highlights of being in the fisheries field and as women in science in general. We choose 2 books (one fiction and one non-fiction) each year to read and then discuss virtually. For more information, check out our book club page.

Complete list of book club picks and recommendations

To recommend future books, please complete our survey!

Awards and Scholarships

The Women of Fisheries Gives Back Award