There is a clear link between the seedy underbelly of the seafood industry, and fishers’ safety, now ranked as the second deadliest profession in the world; and more must be done to ensure people dependent on this type of labour are working in safe conditions, UN partners urged on Thursday.
Every hour fishers die doing their job – not just men, women too, Maria Helena Samedo, chief for Climate and Natural Resources at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), explained at a major conference organized by the agency in Rome, coinciding with World Fisheries Day on 21 November.
Human rights violations and unacceptable practices at different stages of the value chain are increasing in fisheries and aquaculture, she added.
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing leads to over-exploitation of fish stocks, already drained by pollution and climate impacts, and financially burdens honest fishers and the communities that depend on them, FAO and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said in a joint statement at the conclusion of the International Symposium on Fisheries Sustainability.
Beyond injuring biodiversity and economies, IUU casts a dark shadow on already physically-taxing sea labour, with many IUU fishers engaging in transnational crimes, such as human and drug trafficking and piracy.
Around the world, one in ten people depend on fishing to make a living and feed their families, and often, they are some of the poorest in society, according to FAO.
An estimated 95 per cent of those relying on the seafood business to provide for their families, live in Africa and Asia, often enduring gruesome working conditions. In 2019, fishing was ranked and the second most dangerous job in the world, just behind logging.
Vulnerable youth and migrants often find casual jobs aboard vessels with working and living conditions well below acceptable standards.
Crewmembers are notoriously denied previously agreed wages, if they get paid at all, while some captains and boat owners ignore basic human rights, forcing fishers to endure extended periods at sea, under dangerous conditions.
United Nations