Revealing global risks of labor abuse and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing

Selig, Elizabeth R.; Nakayama, Shinnosuke; Wabnitz, Colette C. C.; Österblom, Henrik; Spijkers, Jessica; Miller, Nathan A.; Bebbington, Jan; Decker Sparks, Jessica L.

Abstract

Labor abuse on fishing vessels and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing violate human rights, jeopardize food security, and deprive governments of revenues. We applied a multi-method approach, combining new empirical data with satellite information on fishing activities and vessel characteristics to map risks of labor abuse and IUU fishing, understand their relationships, and identify major drivers. Port risks were globally pervasive and often coupled, with 57% of assessed ports associated with labor abuse or IUU fishing. For trips ending in assessed ports, 82% were linked to labor abuse or IUU fishing risks. At-sea risk areas were primarily driven by fishing vessel flags linked to poor control of corruption by the flag state, high ownership by countries other than the flag state, and Chinese-flagged vessels. Transshipment risk areas were related to the gear type of fishing vessels engaged in potential transshipment and carrier vessel flags. Measures at port offer promise for mitigating risks, through the Port State Measures Agreement for IUU fishing, and ensuring sufficient vessel time at port to detect and respond to labor abuse. Our results highlight the need for coordinated action across actors to avoid risk displacement and make progress towards eliminating these socially, environmentally and economically unsustainable practices.

Citation

Selig, E. R., Nakayama, S., Wabnitz, C. C. C., Österblom, H., Spijkers, J., Miller, N. A., …Decker Sparks, J. L. (2022). Revealing global risks of labor abuse and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. Nature Communications, 13(1), Article 1612. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28916-2

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 7, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Apr 5, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022-12
• Deposit Date: Apr 7, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 7, 2022
• Journal: Nature Communications
• Electronic ISSN: 2041-1723
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 1612
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28916-2
• Keywords: General Physics and Astronomy; General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology; General Chemistry
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/7711366
• Publisher URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28916-2
• Additional Information: Received: 6 May 2021; Accepted: 7 February 2022; First Online: 5 April 2022; : E.R.S., S.N., C.C.C.W., J.B., and H.Ö. provide scientific support to companies in the seafood sector through the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS) initiative (ExternalRef removed) and HÖ is chairman of the SeaBOS Fundraising Foundation. These engagements are voluntary and unpaid. None of the SeaBOS members had any role in the study design, analysis, interpretation of data, or conclusions drawn in this paper. The authors declare no other competing interests.