iFish6

An estimated 40 million people work in the primary fisheries sector – work that is inherently precarious, dangerous, and typically low-wage, and increasingly vulnerable to exploitative labor practices. Climate change poses a growing threat to decent work in fisheries, as evidenced by the rising incidence of severe weather events, which impacts both physical health (like the recent capsizing of several boats during heavy storms in the Bay of Bengal), as well as working hours and remuneration. Fishery work is uniquely at risk from climate change, as it affects not only working conditions on vessels, but also – as fish stocks shift – affects where the work is taking place, and therefore the different legal and regulatory frameworks that govern it. In general, improvements to working conditions in fishing have been slow, and more attention is needed – in research, policy, and practice – to how climate change threatens to erode even incremental gains in achieving decent work. Climate adaptation strategies for fisheries do not typically include measures to safeguard the physical and mental health of workers in the sector, and interventions and policies designed to promote decent work in fisheries – such as the ILO Work in Fishing Convention (C 188) – are limited by a poor understanding of climate impacts, where new vulnerabilities will emerge, and how labor governance may need to respond to these new challenges. In this session we will discuss emerging evidence on climate drivers impacting fishery workers; present a conceptual framework demonstrating the linkages between climate change, fishery resources, and decent work; and identify adaptation strategies that would promote a just transition for fishery workers. A key goal is to begin to chart a roadmap for transdisciplinary research and action in this area for the next five years.

We will start the roundtable discussion with a short (5 min) presentation on the conceptual framework under development (Michelle Tigchelaar), followed by opening statements (3 min each) on the following topics:

Decent work in fisheries – Jessica Spark
Occupational & environmental health – KC Elliott
Labor policy – ILO (speaker TBD)
Just transition & worker perspectives – ITF (speaker TBD)

We will then have a moderated audience discussion around the following three questions:

What knowledge gaps need to be filled to inform effective action in this area
What policy, regulatory, and market avenues are most promising for climate adaptive decent work in industrial fisheries?
Which actors need to be at the table to drive progress on a just transition for fishery workers?

Session participants will share thoughts in real-time, or discuss in small groups with notetakers.