Media: Gisborne’s Elly Lincoln wins 2026 Young Fisher of the Year award

Elly Lincoln, 2026 winner of the Sunderland Marine Young Fisher of the Year Award, shares a bit about why she loves fishing, the sustainability of the industry, what she'll do with her $5,000 scholarship and what her dream catch is. Read a short excerpt below:

Lincoln described commercial fishing as a “beautiful industry”.

“It gives a lot of people a second chance at life.”

The work was often “very hard” and physically demanding, but rewarding.

“Sometimes we get up before the sun rises and see the sunrise the next day before you get to go to bed,” Lincoln said. “That’s the beauty of it, though. You get to see so many things ... it’s a dumb day, and then you’ve got orcas swimming around the boat.”

Read the full story here (paywalled): https://www.nzherald.co.nz/gisborne-herald/news/gisbornes-elly-lincoln-wins-2026-young-fisher-of-the-year-award/N5XBUMTDLFAPLKPMBSRYRA3KEY/