Fishing is inherently global and mobile. Fishers regularly cross jurisdictions and may be recruited in one country through intermediaries based in another, employed under laws in a third, and working in the waters of a fourth country or international waters. On the high seas a vessel is subject to the jurisdiction of its flag state alone, and enforcement depends on that state's willingness and capacity to exercise it.
Mobility and connectivity determine what a fisher can access including healthcare, consular assistance, union representation and legal remedy. Gaps in the protection of fishers' rights arise as a result, increasing the risk of exploitation and abuse. Migrant fishers are the most exposed, where immigration status, language barriers and dependence on employers or brokers create control.
Compliance with national legislation alone is insufficient to ensure compliance with international obligations in a sector that operates across jurisdictions. ILO Convention 188 sets standards specific to work in fishing, and the Flag of Non-Compliance criteria provide a means of assessing whether a flag state is meeting its responsibilities.
For more on high mobility work, see the Risks Across Transport guidance.