The ILO Committee on Work in the Fishing Sector concluded preliminary discussions today aimed at establishing new international legal instruments revising existing ILO standards (five Conventions and two Recommendations - Note 1) adopted between 1920 and 1966.
"It is clearly important that no fisher slips inadvertently through the protective net of the Convention", ILO Director-General Juan Somavia said. "For the 35 million fishers in the world - most of whom are now excluded from coverage by existing labour standards - it will mean conditions of work that will enable them to continue to earn a living in decent conditions and in safety."
If adopted following further discussions next year, the new standards would reflect changes in the fishing sector that have taken place over the past decades, which have seen rising consumption of fish as an animal protein source. Fishing contributes some US$ 50 billion a year to international trade in fishery commodities.
The new labour standards under consideration would extend the coverage of ILO standards to more than 90 per cent of the world's fishermen. Currently, the existing Conventions cover only about 10 per cent of those in the sector.
The new standards would provide broad coverage for all those working in the fishing sector, including the self-employed and those paid on the basis of the share of the catch; have the flexibility to ensure wide-scale ratification and implementation; and include new provisions on safety and health to reduce the high rate of accidents and fatalities highlighted in earlier ILO reports. The standards would also include new provisions on compliance and enforcement of the standards, strengthening the role of both flag States and port States.
The ILO estimates that some 35 million people are engaged in capture fishing and aquaculture production worldwide, the vast majority of whom live in developing countries (Asia, 83 per cent, Africa 9 per cent and South America, 2.5 per cent), with the rest divided among fish exporting countries in North America, Europe and the former Soviet Union. The world's fishing fleet is comprised of some 1.3 million decked vessels and 2.8 million undecked vessels - again mostly in developing countries - where the small-scale fisheries sector provides about 45 per cent of the world's total catch ( Note 2).
According to ILO estimates, fishing and related occupations are among the most dangerous of all work. In some countries, the fatality rates for persons in the fishing sector are higher than those for fire-fighters or police, while fatality rates can be many times higher than the national average. Although there is no overall figure for the number of accidents in the sector, in various countries the fatality rate ranges from 150 to 180 per 100,000 workers.
Occupational safety and working conditions in the sector are significant issues, since fish, including shellfish, remains a critical food source for many countries. Fish consumption, as a percentage of total animal protein consumption, ranges from 6 per cent in some countries to nearly 30 per cent in others. Production and consumption continue to grow - as does employment in the sector - primarily because of growing demand for fish and other seafood in wealthier countries.
New labour standards in this area would take into account the difficult working conditions in the sector as a whole, fishers working on smaller vessels in coastal waters and those working on larger vessels operating for longer periods at sea. The final report of the Committee will be presented to the plenary of the ILO 92nd annual International Labour Conference on Wednesday, 16 June, for formal adoption.
Note 2 - According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the top exporting countries in the year 2000 were Thailand, China, Norway, the United States, Canada, Denmark, Chile, Taiwan (China), Spain, Indonesia, Viet Nam and India. The top importing countries were Japan, the United Sates, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Hong Kong (China), Denmark, China, Canada and the Republic of Korea.