Fishing trawler welcomes first female crew members

A fishing trawler has welcomed two women onto its crew for the first time.

Hannah Jenkinson and Megan Dosdale have joined the Hull-based Kirkella as deckhands after earning their sea certificates earlier this year.

A male trainee, Josh Telford, has also joined the crew of 30 aboard the UK Fisheries Ltd vessel, which fishes in Canadian and Norwegian waters and the Barents Sea.

The ship is one of the last survivors of the country's distant-water fleet and specialises in cod and haddock.

It brings back 12 tonnes of whitefish each trip and supplies a twelfth of the UK's chippies.

The Kirkella has automated processing facilities so that fish can be frozen within 40 minutes of being caught.

Ms Dosdale returned to Hull after leaving the Royal Navy, and took a Maritime Futures training course with the aim of working on fishing or standby vessels.

Ms Jenkinson added: "This experience on the Kirkella is too good an opportunity to turn down.

"I have gained a lot of knowledge and hands-on skills as well as the key qualifications to allow me to get a job on board a sea vessel. I'm really excited to set sail."

Mr Telford also completed the three-week course, which was commissioned by the Hull Maritime project with funding from the city council and seafarers' guild Trinity House.

Gillian Osgerby from the council said: "These women and other crew members are not only making history but also helping to shape a more inclusive and sustainable future for the local fishing industry."

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