Regulating recruitment and contracting of migrant fishers from Indonesia

Historically, the processes in place to govern the recruitment and contracting of Indonesian migrant fishers have fostered situations of labor abuse and exploitation. The Indonesian government has introduced a new regulatory framework designed to meet international expectations that it creates rules and systems for recruiting migrant fishers in its territory. This article analyzes the state of play immediately before this new regulatory framework was operationalized, generating insights into practices around recruitment and contracting, and providing a baseline for future analysis of the new framework’s impact.