synonyms - A non-gendered word for fishermen



Is there a non-gendered word for fishermen, that doesn't feel as self-conscious as fisherpersons or as folksy as fisherfolk?



Answer



I would suggest the following solution



Both fishermen and -women ...bla...bla...



From the first Google results page I found this interesting and long article, posted on CBC news, August 24, 2000. I'll highlight the most relevant observations IMO (emphasis mine).



FISSURE OVER FISHER


In the fall of 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada issued a ruling on native fishing rights (The Queen v. Donald Marshall, Jr.).


As word spread across the country, debate over a word raged inside the CBC. To avoid the sexist noun fishermen, should we call people with boats and nets fishers?


[…]


A few employees shared first-hand accounts of outraged fishermen skewering them as spineless meddlers. One producer said her newsroom had banned ‘fisher’ because women in the industry "are proud to be called fishermen, a la chairmen." […]


According to many Canadian media outlets, fisherman falls into this category. "There is not an entirely satisfactory substitute for 'fisherman'," observes The 1999 Canadian Press Stylebook, "although 'fisher', 'fish harvester', 'fish industry worker', 'fishing licensees' or the phrase 'fishermen and women' are all possibilities."


Angler is not an option because the word (which originally meant "hook") applies to people who use rods for fun not nets for a living. While CP doesn't rule out fishermen, it does point out that the term might not be "accurate" in some contexts — citing the caption under a photograph of Inuit women trying to catch salmon as an example.


The Globe & Mail's 1998 Style Book is much more blunt: "Avoid fisher, except in direct quotes. We encourage inclusive terms, but women in the fishing industry on both coasts have made it clear they call themselves fishermen, and take strong exception to what they regard as a bureaucratic, politically correct term."



I'll leave the OP to make up their own mind.


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