Society & NGO

Seafood consumers around the world are increasingly aware of the potential for working condition abuses on-board fishing vessels. Investigations into illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, and modern slavery at sea and poor labour practices have exposed these issues. The extremity of abuse is shocking from people trafficking, to forced slave-like conditions and profound human degradation. This is not acceptable, nor is it necessary to produce seafood this way.

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Fishing Companies, Buyers & Brands

Retailers, brands and civil society are responding by demanding that seafood is caught by fishers who are treated with dignity by responsible fishing companies. ​NGOs and leading market buyers are advocating that fishing companies are demonstrably responsible for the worker welfare, the environment, fish stocks and other marine life.

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Responsible fishing companies want to ensure that they are looking after their fishers - because it's the right thing to do. Throughout the seafood supply chain, businesses care that they source seafood caught by fishers who are well looked after. Responsible seafood companies increasingly must ensure, and independently verify, that they prevent these abuses occurring in their supply chains through having policies, management systems, procedures and operational practices to minimize risk, and actual occurrence of, human rights abuses.

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Governments & Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMO)

Increasingly governments are requiring working conditions on-board to be fair and reasonable. The Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission is the first RFMO to have passed a Resolution (18/01) on Labour Standards for Crew on Fishing Vessels and the FAO is developing Guidelines for Human Rights in the Seafood Sector.