Fishing: Standards & rights at work

Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188)
Work in Fishing Recommendation, 2007 (No. 199)

In 2007, the 96th Session of the International Labour Conference adopted the Work in Fishing Convention (No. 188) (ratifications) and Work in Fishing Recommendation (No. 199). The Convention and Recommendation revise five of the seven existing ILO that specifically concern the fishing sector. They address such matters as minimum age for work on a fishing vessel, medical standards, work agreements, occupational safety & health, and social security. Read more in the overview (pdf 62 KB) of the matters addressed by the Convention.     

The Convention will enter into force 12 months after the date on which the ratifications of ten Members, eight of which are coastal States, have been registered with the Director-General. 

• Text of Convention No. 188 (also available as a PDF, 116 KB)
• Text of Recommendation No. 199 (also available as a PDF, 80 KB)

Additional resources

• Overview of the contents of the Convention and Recommendation - (pdf 88 KB)
• Report of the Committee on the Fishing Sector of the 96th Session of the Conference - (pdf 450 KB)
• Discussion by the Conference plenary of the Report of the Committee on the Fishing Sector (Provisional Record 16, pages 47-53) - (pdf 562 KB)
• Vote by the Conference on the Convention and Recommendation (Provisional Record 25, pages 3-5, 11-20) - (pdf 576 KB)
• Four Resolutions concerning the fishing sector that the Conference adopted when it adopted the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 and Recommendation, 2007
  - Resolution concerning promotion of the ratification of the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 - (pdf, 44 KB)
  - Resolution concerning port State control - (pdf, 40 KB)
  - Resolution concerning tonnage measurement and accommodation - (pdf, 40 KB)
  - Resolution concerning promotion of welfare for the fishers - (pdf, 44 KB)
  
• Interviews with Conference delegates and participants
• Feature stories about work in the fishing sector (from June 2007)
  - For fishers their ship is their home, and for many the crew is their only family
  - Improving living and working conditions in the fishing sector