Decent Work in Aquaculture

Each year in October, FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture partners with Conxemar, an important Spanish seafood industry association, and the region of Galicia, Spain for its annual appointment on fisheries issues.

The issue of decent work in the seafood sector has been receiving increasing media attention in recent years, as more frequent instances of labour abuses in the industry are coming to light. As a result of this increasing attention, the seafood industry and retailers are feeling growing pressure from consumers to not only guarantee the environmental sustainability of the fish products reaching those consumer plates, but to guarantee that the social and labour conditions of the workers who have harvested and processed that fish have been protected by fair labour standards and decent work.

The movement for more accountability is admirable, but the challenges are numerous for a product with a seafood value chain that involves many stakeholders and interests and continues to grow longer, more international and increasingly complex.

Speaking at the conclusion, FAO’s Uwe Barg noted “I find this level of engagement encouraging. We are working together and moving in the right direction.” ILO and FAO will be discussing this issue further with interested stakeholders and following up this event with more dialogue and information sharing.

Source:

http://www.fao.org/blogs/blue-growth-blog/exploring-solutions-to-promote-decent-work-in-fisheries-and-aquaculture/en/