The first fishing boat that Elsa Vega owned was, by every measure, a modest vessel. It had no cabin, no bathroom and no modern hydraulics. Its wooden rudder was attached to the steering wheel with chains. The storage hold for fish was made of tin, not stainless steel.
None of that mattered to Vega. The most important feature about that boat? It was hers.
“I had an emotional attachment to that little boat,” says Vega. “It was very basic. In Peru, we call them little Viking boats. It was special. It is the one that got me started in the industry.”
Today, Elsa Vega serves as the president of the National Artisanal Fishing Society of Peru (SONAPESCAL), an organization representing the interests of small-scale fishers. Her rise to a leadership position in an industry dominated by men is a testament to her work ethic and a value system rooted in a belief in creating opportunity for all.
Vega’s journey began far from the ocean. Born in the mountains, her family moved to Chimbote, a coastal city in Peru’s northern Ancash region, when she was in grade school. One of the largest fishing ports in Peru, Chimbote became the backdrop for Vega’s life in the fishing industry.
