Working in an office made me feel like I was just existing in my head – so I decided to work in fishing full-time

When Ashley Mullenger signed up for a fishing trip on the Norfolk coast, she was completely unaware that the course of her life was about to change.

That was 11 years ago, and in the time since, Ashley, 37, has left her nine-to-five life behind to pursue fishing full-time – and has gone on to win the 2022 Fisherman of the Year title towed, making her the first woman to do so. .

The antithesis between her previously chaotic nine-to-five office environment and the tranquility of being at sea ultimately led to the decision.

In conversation with BBC The women’s hourAshely said, “When I was in the office, I relied on my mind to get me through the day. Whereas now I don’t just rely on my mind, but every muscle in my body is important and I feel like I’m really living within myself, instead of just existing in my head.’

Ahead of the release of her book, ‘My Fishing Life’, Ashley has revealed how her journey at sea has enriched her life indefinitely – all while empowering other women to delve into the male-dominated field.

Her career change was unexpected. She had no ambition to go fishing as a child, nor did she have any experience.

But when she went fishing for the first time in 2012, she quickly resonated with the isolated environment – ​​a condition completely different from that of an office.

“I went on a charter fishing trip and while I was there, I fell in love. I fell in love with the environment,” Ashley explained.

“I think a lot of that comes from working in an office where I was constantly getting calls and emails and people saying, ‘Oh, Ash, can you do this, can you do that, or can you solve this problem? solve it for me?’ me.”‘

“And then I went out to sea, and it all just goes away. It’s completely isolated, and I think the fact that that calm and environment is all that’s important just resonated with me.”

‘When I was in the office, I trusted my mind to get me through the day. Now I don’t just rely on my mind, but every muscle in my body is important.

“I feel like I’m really living within myself, instead of just existing in my head to solve problems.”

“I think it’s very inspiring to be in an environment where the only thing that matters is the real here and now.”

Not only has Ashley’s career path changed, but so has her personality. She explained: “My job has changed me as a person.

‘I see differences in myself, I feel more confident and better able to make choices and decisions.’

When asked whether she is happier in her new profession, the answer was clear. ‘Yes absolutely. I couldn’t go back to a nine to five now.

“It’s like I opened Pandora’s box, and it’s an exciting world where every day is different and every day challenges you, I couldn’t go back.”

Ashley’s daily routine can vary because she works in a tidal port. While some shifts run from 9am to 7pm, others are not so inviting.

She explains: ‘Days can change as we operate from a tidal port. So we can start at nine in the morning and be in at seven in the evening. Sometimes I start at three in the afternoon and we’re back at two in the morning.’

“But in the summer, when you get up at two in the morning, the sunrise starts and you see all these different colors in the sky, and you feel like it’s just for you because there’s no one else there.”

Now Ashley is on a mission to encourage other women to consider a career in fishing, and she has already witnessed a growing interest.

Ashley said, “In the last six years when I first started, I knew two other women who were active on boats, and now that number is over twenty.

“I recently got a message from a 14-year-old girl from Scotland, and she said thank you for coming because it made me feel like this was something I could do.

“It’s those young women who need to see women in roles like this to think, ‘Yes, I can see myself doing that.’

She added, “I think it’s so important to see us being accepted in the industry and taking up space.”

But Ashley isn’t just taking up space, she’s being recognized as one of the best in this field, or the 2022 Fisherman of the Year.

“It felt great to be nominated initially, to be recognized in the industry. To win was really unique, I had to hold back my tears.”

Critics have blasted Ashley’s decision to keep the title “fisherman” instead of exploring alternative titles such as “fisherman” or “fisherman’s wife.”

However, Ashley has her reasons: ‘I choose to say fisherman purely and simply because it is respectful of the predominantly male fishing industry that has come before me and worked hard, and in some cases, given their lives, to put fish on the table. to get.

“I’m not going to come in and take that away from them.

‘At the end of the day, I love what I do. You can call me whatever you want, and as long as I do my job, it doesn’t matter.”