March 28, 2024 — Since Nicole Fel’Dotto was a kid, she has lived and breathed the salt air. Her father, Erik, wore quite a few hats as a marine biologist, commercial diver, and, well, some would say, dad to a mermaid. Nicole was raised venturing through the tide pools on the coast of New Hampshire, where she would spend hours looking at the marine life, which would lead her to a similar path to her dad—a life on the water.
In addition to being one of the only commercial fishing women in New England waters, Nicole has mastered the craft of social media, posting on Instagram and TikTok, where she not only shares her fishing journey but has truly inspired men and women to share all things commercial fishing.
Although Nicole’s path is not the traditional commercial fisherman’s story, she has continued steadfastly, now working with her boyfriend, Charlie, and sometimes her father from their 22′ Novi boat, the Salty Blonde, out of Hampton, NH. They have predominantly caught lobster but have recently harvested invasive green crabs and partnered with local restaurants to use them in seafood recipes. In addition to those fisheries, Nicole has dabbled in striped bass, clamming, and tuna fishing. To say the least, she has probably put her hands on every species of fish in the Northeast.
When Nicole was in high school, she was severely bullied. She dealt with physical and mental harassment along with constant death threats. It got to the point where she didn’t feel comfortable in school around those individuals who were harassing her. She often hid in her marine biology teacher’s room during class assemblies, feeling the most at home where she could disconnect from the thought of being on land, near these people. Eventually, restraining orders were put in place, but Nicole knew how small the town she lived in was.
“I couldn’t walk to the beach, rollerblade, or do any activity outside of school without getting harassed. I knew I would never want a job on land where these girls could get to me,” she shared.
Nicole openly shares this adversity on her platforms and encourages those who have been bullied to speak up and shed light on the impact that bullying has on people. If you’ve followed her for some time, you can see the community she has built around empowering each other while working in a male-dominated industry.