Foreword

This project began in the spring of 1995 with the idea of producing a book on women's work in the Newfoundland and Labrador fishing industry. Even though the industry has changed considerably over the years, many believe the roles and economic contributions of women have never been fully understood or acknowledged. The Newfoundland and Labrador Women's FishNet set out to collect stories about the work women do, and the work women used to do. We wanted the book to resonate with the voices of shoreworkers and shore skippers, brokers and buyers, trimmers and cutters, supervisors and owners, filleters, floor ladies and fishers. We hoped to learn about all the telling moments for women in the industry. Above all else, we wanted this book to celebrate rural women and their contribution to the fisheries.

The more we talked, the bigger the book got. Finally we realized no single text could accomplish the goals we set; there was a limit to our resources and the time readers had to invest. When we stopped dreaming we stopped agonizing about what we couldn't do, and began searching for women who would be willing to share their stories. We called women we knew or knew of, and talked with staff of government departments, processing companies, unions and the media. We asked them to suggest names of fisheries workers.