Decent work in fishing in a changing climate

Abstract

Climate change will increasingly impact the working conditions of employed fishers, who work in the most hazardous occupation in a sector already at high risk for forced labor and other decent work deficits. However, in comparison to other sectors, there has been little attention afforded to how climate change will impact working conditions onboard industrial vessels. Although the absence of a well-organized workforce makes it challenging to identify and anticipate climate impacts, this information is critical for designing effective strategies to mitigate them. In this paper we elucidate these emerging linkages in a conceptual framework that was developed through a review of the literature and a convening of government and academic researchers and worker representatives. Fishers are likely to be affected by direct climate hazards, such as injuries and illness from increased storminess and heat exposure, and indirect impacts, such as fatigue and poorer mental health outcomes from longer voyages and working hours as stock abundances change and shift because of warming waters. The power imbalances and denial of agency that create exploitative working conditions, including forced labor, will likely limit vulnerable fishers’ adaptive capacity, further entrenching inequities. The framework also highlights significant knowledge gaps that limit our understanding of fishers’ vulnerabilities and sector risks and that delay the development and implementation of evidence-based interventions. Without immediate and considered policy action informed by workers’ experiences, climate change will likely exacerbate and create new manifestations of decent work deficits in global fisheries.