Despite the recognition that modern slavery occurs in fishing industries in most parts of the world,1 reliable estimates of the prevalence of modern slavery across the sector are few.
As in other industries where the use of forced labour has been uncovered, forced labour in fisheries is, to some extent, driven by the motivation to reduce costs in a relatively low-tech, labour-intensive, and low profit industry.
Fishers can be lured into situations of modern slavery by seemingly legitimate employment opportunities, but once recruited find themselves unable to leave because of the threat of violence towards themselves or family members, physical confinement on- and off-shore, the withholding of wages, and the debts they incur through the recruitment process.
It is well documented that such trapped fishers are subjected to excessive working hours, unsafe working conditions, and inadequate food and water. The nature of offshore fishing, particularly for distant water fleets, can make escape from such situations impossible for months or years at a time.
The occurrence of labour exploitation and modern slavery in the fisheries of some countries are well documented. For example, reports of modern slavery in the Thai fishing industry have been amassed through investigative journalism and increasingly, qualitative and quantitative research. Such research has provided important insights into the entrenched nature and scale of the problem in Thailand’s fishing industry and in its region.
For instance, a 2017 study by the Issara Institute and the International Justice Mission examining the experiences of Cambodian and Burmese fishers in Thailand between 2011 and 2016 found that 76 percent of migrant workers in the Thai fishing industry had been held in debt bondage and almost 38 percent had been trafficked into the Thai fishing industry in that time-frame.
Subsequent research confirms that despite increased awareness and efforts by the Thai government to address this issue, forced labour and debt bondage within fisheries are ongoing and widespread.
While equivalent research has not yet been undertaken in the fishing industries of other major fishing nations, it is apparent that modern slavery in commercial fisheries is not unique to Thailand. For example, there have been media reports of modern slavery and labour abuses aboard American, British, Chinese, and Taiwanese vessels in recent years.
The labour abuses seen in the fishing industry take place in a broader context that includes economic, social, and environmental factors. First, the increasing global demand for fish and the rapid growth of industrial fishing fleets, along with over-exploitation of many fish stocks, has resulted in a declining catch per effort and falling profitability.
This has occurred alongside the destruction of small-scale, artisanal fisheries that previously provided fishing families and their villages with food and income.
From a regulatory perspective, these results are inadvertently encouraged by government subsidies that seek to keep fishing industries operating where they would otherwise be unprofitable. All of this occurs within inadequate and inconsistent legal frameworks regulating fishing industries, and poor enforcement where such laws do exist.
Together with researchers from the Sea Around Us at the University of Western Australia and the University of British Columbia, the Walk Free Foundation sought to determine a set of risk factors that are associated with modern slavery in fisheries at a global level. In the absence of local reporting, these risk factors enable us to identify likely areas of national risk.
To understand risk factors, we brought together data on fisheries and fishing management, with data on prevalence of modern slavery. The analysis indicates that the occurrence of modern slavery in major fish producing countries is associated with the following six risk factors:
Fishing outside of the vessel’s national waters (officially known as Exclusive Economic Zones or EEZs) where industry may be subject to fewer regulations.
A dependence on distant water fishing. Distant water fishing potentially increases the vulnerability of the crew to exploitation because of the remote fishing locations where vessels often remain for extended periods of time, limiting the ability for monitoring/oversight by authorities.
High levels of vessel and fuel subsidies provided by the national government. High subsidies indicate a lack of competitiveness in a country’s fishing industry and suggest likely pressure to cut costs.
Relatively low per capita GDP of the fishing country. This may reflect limited governmental capacity to monitor fleets and enforce fisheries standards and legislation and/or an increased likelihood that potential workers on fishing fleets are seeking work in an environment of limited economic opportunities.
Low average value of a fishery’s catch per fisher. Low productivity fisheries have a more pressing need to reduce labour costs, as these are one of the few remaining costs that are not externally fixed.
Large scale unreported fishing by a country’s fishing fleets. This represents weak fisheries governance and a lack of legal oversight. Illegal fishing, a major component of unreported fishing, causes billions of dollars in losses to economies around the world each year, and poorly managed fisheries are lawless markets.
These six characteristics reflect two major sets of drivers:
The first three variables identified above reflect a country’s decision to build and, typically, subsidise distant water fishing fleets.
The last three variables identified in the modelling are indicative of a country’s economic capacity to maintain decent working conditions and report on fishing activity.
2018 The Minderoo Foundation Pty Ltd.