Connections: Stories from Women who Fish
Everyone knows someone who fishes, and everyone who fishes has a story to tell.
“Everyone has an idea about what fishing means to them, but as a community or group, what does fishing mean? It facilitates the connection to everything around us from people to nature. For some it is a break from the world and for others it's a connection to the world. Whatever fishing means to you, it is away to connect everyone across generations, nationalities, lifestyles, and occupations. It's what brings us together!” - Amelia Downes
Project History
Pictures: Top left: Alicia O’Grady, Top right: Amanda Popovich, Below Top Right: “Cooler colors” by Amber Voght, Below, Middle Right: Sarah McNichol, Bottom Left: Shawn Rathbun, Bottom Right: Beverly Maynard
This website and StoryMap represent stories from Michigan women anglers collected during a 2018-2019 research project at Michigan Technological University (MTU). Funded by a Michigan Sea Grant Graduate Research Fellowship, then PhD student Erin Burkett completed a participatory photovoice project with women anglers under the mentorship of Angie Carter (MTU and Tracy Claramunt (Michigan Department of Natural Resources). This website was created by Savannah Obert-Pfeiffer as part of the Undergraduate Program for Exploration and Research in Social Sciences at MTU.
Women are underrepresented among recreational anglers. In Wisconsin and Minnesota only 1 in 3 anglers are women, and in Michigan only 1 in 5 anglers are women. However, women’s fishing participation is increasing. While this study is not representative of all women anglers, it serves as a helpful starting point for understanding the many meanings women associated with outdoor recreation and recreational fishing. Wildlife-associated outdoor pursuits like fishing and hunting are rooted in long-standing and often gender-based societal expectations and histories. The result is that we don’t often hear women’s fishing stories.
By using a technique called photovoice participants are able to express what makes women’s experiences and motivations for fishing.
What Is Photovoice
Photovoice is a form of research that combines individual photography and group storytelling. In this project, two groups of Michigan women came together to share their fishing-related pictures and stories with each other in a group discussion setting. Photovoice project members were asked, What does fishing mean to you? Many of their answers are represented in the images, captions, and stories you see on this website and in the interactive map below.
During a series of group meetings called “photowalks,” each participant shared their photographs and the stories behind them. What happens when you get a group of women anglers together in a room and put their photographs on display? Engaging storytelling, a lot of knowing nods of agreement, and plenty of laughter. Each group discussed their favorite fish to catch and eat, what gear they use, where they fish, who they fish with, and how they feel being women in a sport dominated by men.
Caption: Members of the Keweenaw photovoice project share their fishing stories during a 2018 photowalk.
Map of Favorite Places to Fish
This interactive map displays women’s fishing-related images, captions, and stories by location. Select any marker to begin exploring the map.
Group Exhibits
Photovoice projects often end with a group presentation, exhibit, or some other venue for story sharing. In this instance, the Keweenaw group created a gallery-style exhibit for the Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw. The group decided to present their images and stories into collective themes centered around the idea of connection. The themes represented fishing’s ability to connect them to the unknown, nature, people, water, history, and to themselves.
Caption: Erin Burkett (at right) introducing Keweenaw photovoice project participants at the Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw exhibit opening in February 2019. Project members from left to right: Alicia O’Grady, Amber Voght, Emily Downes, Cori Fitzpatrick, and Denise Vandeville.
The Detroit project members shared their fishing experiences and stories at a monthly meeting of the Metrowest Steelheaders Association in June 2019. Their main goal is to invite women who want to try fishing or get more active in local fishing clubs, but who might not have had the confidence or experience to try the sport.
Caption: Detroit project members from left to right: April Tang, Karen Westphal, Erin Burkett, Nancy Nabors, and Amanda Popovich
Finding other women to fish with was particularly important to April Tang, project participant and member of the Flygirls of Michigan:
"I joined the Flygirls of Michigan group and the women there have helped me build my skills and opened up more fishing opportunities. On this guided trip, I caught my biggest steelhead so far. It was a brutally cold day, like most days when steelhead run the rivers. My boatmate and I persisted, and she ended up catching an even bigger beast! The Flygirls have really been a wonderful, supportive community for me.”
Participating in this photovoice project helped these women identify and share previously unacknowledged histories and self-reflect on what fishing means to them and to other women. Outdoor recreation experiences are socially complex, and photovoice helps participants actively construct their own meanings about their relationships with fishing experiences, nature, and themselves.
Data Sources & References
Fishing license data was provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and analyzed and organized by Michigan Technological University.
