ILO Adopts First-Ever Global Guidelines to Protect Migrant Fishers’ Rights

The new ILO Guidelines seek to address these issues by providing practical, actionable measures for all stakeholders involved in recruitment and employment.

In a landmark step toward ensuring fairness and accountability in the global fishing industry, experts from governments, employers, and workers’ organizations have adopted the first-ever International Guidelines for Fair Labour Market Services for Migrant Fishers. The adoption, which took place on 31 October 2025 at the International Labour Organization (ILO) headquarters in Geneva, marks a major advance in the ILO’s efforts to promote decent work, ethical recruitment, and human rights protections for one of the world’s most vulnerable workforces.

A Milestone in Fair Recruitment and Labour Rights

The new Guidelines were finalized following five days of tripartite negotiations (27–31 October), where representatives from fishing vessel owners’ associations, fishers’ unions, and governments came together to develop a unified framework for fair recruitment and employment practices.

They complement the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188), which establishes minimum international labour standards on working and living conditions for fishers. Together, these instruments aim to tackle exploitation, deceptive recruitment, and unsafe working conditions that continue to affect thousands of migrant fishers worldwide.

“These Guidelines will inspire and support governments, employers, and workers to implement policies and take actions that foster fair labour market services for migrant fishers and enhance the protection of this vulnerable workforce,” said Julie Carlton, Chairperson of the meeting.

Addressing Widespread Abuses in the Fishing Sector

Fishing is one of the world’s most dangerous and least regulated industries, with millions of fishers—many of them migrants—working under harsh conditions at sea. Reports of deceptive recruitment, debt bondage, wage theft, forced labour, and human trafficking have persisted for years, particularly on distant-water fleets that operate across borders and beyond the reach of effective law enforcement.

The new ILO Guidelines seek to address these issues by providing practical, actionable measures for all stakeholders involved in recruitment and employment.

“This meeting has shown that effective tripartite dialogue can deliver practical tools to strengthen protection and accountability throughout recruitment systems,” said Frank Hagemann, Director of the ILO’s Sectoral Policies Department (SECTOR). “These Guidelines provide a timely and concrete response at a time when solidarity with migrant workers is increasingly under pressure.”

Key Features of the New Guidelines

The Guidelines establish a clear roadmap for governments, recruiters, and employers to promote transparency, fairness, and accountability throughout the labour supply chain. They include:

• Defined roles and responsibilities for recruiters, employers, and authorities to prevent abuse and ensure ethical hiring.

• Liability and financial security mechanisms to protect fishers in cases of contract breaches, abandonment, or unpaid wages.

• Model contracts and agreements for both fishers and recruitment agencies, ensuring clarity and enforceability.

• Rules on transfers at sea and shore leave, preventing isolation and ensuring humane working conditions.

• Accessible and confidential complaint mechanisms in both countries of origin and destination.

• Cross-border cooperation among governments to monitor recruitment agencies and prosecute offenders.

• Training programs and awareness campaigns to inform fishers of their rights and available protections.

Voices from the Tripartite Constituents

Each group represented in the negotiations hailed the Guidelines as a milestone for global labour rights.

Workers’ Group Vice-Chair Johnny Hansen underscored the importance of the new framework:

“Fishing remains one of the most challenging and least regulated industries in the world of work. These Guidelines give us a real opportunity to change that—by ensuring recruitment is fair, that rights are respected, and that fishers everywhere can work with dignity and safety.”

Employers’ Group Vice-Chair Cor Blonk emphasized collaboration and shared responsibility:

“Employers are firmly committed to fair recruitment and decent working conditions. These Guidelines are a step forward in providing clear and balanced tools that help all actors meet their responsibilities.”

Governments’ Group Vice-Chair Shaun Rogers added that the Guidelines will help states strengthen oversight and cooperation:

“They provide a collaborative framework for governments, employers, and workers to ensure that recruitment and employment practices are both lawful and humane.”

A Framework Rooted in International Labour Standards

The Guidelines reinforce the principles of the ILO General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment (2016) and support the implementation of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (2022). By integrating these global standards, the new instrument helps to ensure that migrant fishers enjoy the same rights and protections as other workers, including freedom of association, collective bargaining, and access to justice.

Responding to Global Challenges

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), more than 60 million people work in the fishing and aquaculture industries, with an estimated 20–30% being migrant workers. Many of these individuals come from Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America, employed on vessels that operate in international waters or under foreign flags.

ILO studies have shown that gaps in legal protection, coupled with weak enforcement, leave many migrant fishers exposed to abuse and exploitation. The new Guidelines aim to close these gaps by fostering international cooperation between labour-sending and receiving countries, harmonizing recruitment standards, and strengthening maritime labour inspection systems.

Next Steps: Turning Guidelines into Action

Following their adoption, the ILO will work with Member States, employers’ organizations, and trade unions to translate the Guidelines into national legislation and sectoral policies. Implementation will be supported through capacity-building workshops, technical assistance, and regional dialogues among governments and industry actors.

The ILO also plans to develop monitoring indicators and a global reporting mechanism to track progress in improving recruitment practices and protecting migrant fishers’ rights.

“These Guidelines are more than a document—they are a roadmap toward a fairer and more humane fishing industry,” said an ILO spokesperson. “They reaffirm that decent work must extend to everyone, whether on land or at sea.”

A Step Toward Decent Work at Sea

The adoption of the Guidelines represents a historic advancement in the protection of migrant workers within the fishing industry—a sector long characterized by informality, invisibility, and abuse. As governments and industry leaders move toward implementation, the hope is that this new global framework will set a new standard for ethical recruitment, fair treatment, and sustainable fisheries management.

Ultimately, these Guidelines stand as a testament to what tripartite cooperation can achieve: a shared commitment to dignity, fairness, and justice for those whose work sustains the world’s oceans and food systems.