Fisher experience on distant water fishing vessels: the implications of variation by vessel type for employment standards

The paper explores variation by vessel type and target species in how fishers describe their daily work patterns and physical demands on distant water fishing vessels operated from Taiwan, and the implications for how labour standards might be created and enforced. The vessel types, species, and gears examined include squid jiggers that fish for both squid and pacific saury, and longliners that target large pelagic fish, including tuna. We find important variation in how fishers describe their working hours, the physical demands on their bodies, and risks. These variations occur over time, as well as between different kinds of vessels. Overall, fishers describe work on longliners as the most difficult, involving long hours of intense physical and dangerous work in ways that often violate basic standards such as those in the Work in Fishing Convention (ILO C188). Work on squid jiggers, while difficult, is less demanding in terms of working hours and physical demands on bodies. In addition, longliners go without visiting port for much longer periods than squid jiggers. These findings speak to the need for qualitative research to supplement and qualify models that try to predict likelihood of forced labour based on vessel tracking data. The findings also suggest that employment standards that do not account for variations among vessel types could be supplemented by standards that are specific to vessel type. We argue that that participation of fisher associations or unions in both the creation of standards, and in monitoring and enforcement, could move toward addressing these variations.