Content Description

The materials in this collection document issues relating to women working in the Alaskan and Pacific Northwest commercial fishing industry. The bulk of this collection is comprised of photocopied material gathered by Carole Morris during the course of her research on the topic. She amassed not only a number of newspaper clippings that relate to fisherwomen, but also articles, scholarly journals and trade magazines that pertain to commercial fishing in general. In addition to articles and clippings, the collection includes bibliographic and archival repository reference information as well as findings and reports from commissions like the Washington State Fish Commissioner and the Commercial Fishers Project of the Seaman's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey. The collection spans from 1902 to the mid 1990s, although the majority of it dates from 1988 to 1995. Among the major topics covered in this collection are workplace abuse and rape, sexual harassment, equality, general fishing laws and regulations, names and statistics of fisherwomen in the region, as well as the overall issues concerning the women who work in this male dominated profession.

Morris's finished thesis, "Permission to Come Aboard? Right to Come Aboard? Women in the Pacific Northwest Fishing Fleet, 1945-1993," ties together these numerous sources on the commercial fishing industry. The interviews, five in all, date from 1993, and only one interview has been transcribed. One of the interviewees, Anne Mosness, was founder of the Women's Maritime Association, whose records are also housed at the Center. Also included are the interview forms and questionnaires that she used.