Toolkit for surveys on decent work in marine fishing

This toolkit compiles survey instruments developed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to assess decent work in marine fishing sector. The tools were piloted in Ghana, Indonesia, and South Africa and validated with national partners.

7 July 2025

The surveys on decent work in marine fishing aim to evaluate decent work in marine fishing using statistically representative methods aligned with international standards. They provide evidence to inform policies that strengthen labour rights and improve working conditions in one of the world’s most hazardous occupations.

This Toolkit for surveys on decent work in marine fishing is designed for National Statistical Offices, research institutes, and other organizations seeking to conduct reliable, comparable surveys on working conditions in marine fishing. It makes these tools easily accessible for replication in other countries.

Currently, the toolkit includes three components:

the Living area questionnaire, for household-based sampling;
the Vessel questionnaire, for vessel-based sampling; and
the Counting rules for survey-based indicators on decent work in marine fishing, which provides guidelines for coding responses into indicators.

Additional tools will be added in the future, including insights from the three pilot surveys.

All instruments were developed and validated by the ILO in consultation with National Steering Committees and Technical Advisory Committees in the pilot countries.