From fish to fishworker traceability in Thai fisheries reform

Abstract

This paper explores the question of what traceability systems mean for the labour situation of fishworkers; for whom and in what respects is traceability effective, and what impact do these systems have? The limited social criteria in fishery governance is a core reason for recurrent problems of extreme abuse of fishworkers around the world, including trafficking, forced labour and so called modern slavery. New traceability systems, thus, now include social criteria to advance sustainable fisheries globally. Drawing from a Thai fisheries reform case study, we analyse how the new labour traceability system emerges and is perceived by migrant fishworkers. We base our analysis on interviews, documents and two periods of fieldwork in Thailand. We argue that labour traceability is a double-edged sword. While fishworkers have seen major improvement in limiting extreme abuse, labour traceability has a downsides of state surveillance and costs passed onto workers. Moreover, traceability does not solve underlying problems regarding the complex formalization of migrant workers, working conditions on fishing boats, freedom to change employer or the everyday vulnerability of being a migrant worker. Thus, while labour traceability has promising policy relevance for the integration of labour rights into fisheries governance, it requires contextual underpinning in migrant circumstances.

Blue boats in deep waters: how aspects of IUU policy impact Vietnamese fish workers

“…A significant part of Vietnam's IUU reforms is the implementation of a VMS system, a form of traceability. Concerns over unsustainable and IUU fishing have worked in good part by using new technologies to track both vessels and seafood (Kadfak and Widengård 2022). In the case of Vietnam, the VMS system is designed as an incentive to stay within Vietnam's EEZ; however, this management system remains in its infancy and is not always followed as is reflected in the number of blue boats who turn off their VMS signal (Phuong and Pomeroy 2022;VNA 2022a).…”

“…This is where Thailand provides a useful example: Thailand has a port management inspection system that considers the traceability of boats and workers (Kadfak and Linke 2021). The Thai case illustrates how the creation of a fisheries monitoring and regulatory infrastructure can facilitate improved enforcement of labor standards as well as fisheries regulations, and further illustrates why a contextspecific approach is critical for implementation (Kadfak and Widengård 2022).…”

Thai Labour NGOs during the ‘Modern Slavery’ Reforms: NGO Transitions in a Post‐aid World

“…Migrant workers employed in the Thai fisheries sector can be divided into two groups: fish workers , that is, migrants who work on Thai fishing boats, and seafood workers , that is, migrants who work in seafood processing plants on land. The two groups of workers are distinct from each other in terms of employers, recruitment channels, types of violations and the possibility to address grievances (for further reading, see ILO, 2020; Kadfak and Widengård, 2022; Vandergeest and Marschke, 2021). Fish workers are employed directly by fishing companies, often in the province or region where the boats operate.…”

“…It remains questionable, however, to what extent working conditions for migrant fish workers have really improved. The limited success of the traceability initiatives in improving working conditions at sea can be linked to the failure to integrate migration policies into the labour reform, and the long‐held perception among state actors that migrant workers threaten national security (Kadfak and Widengård, 2022). Moreover, improved working conditions have not historically been a priority for Thai governments, for either domestic or migrant workers (Vandergeest, 2019; Vandergeest and Marschke, 2020).…”

“…In response, the Thai government began the process of labour reform through a variety of policies and programmes (Kadfak and Antonova, 2021; Kadfak and Linke, 2021). For fish workers, this involved port inspections, digitization of documents and intensive document registrations for undocumented fish workers to ensure traceability (Kadfak and Widengård, 2022). The Thai government also entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Burmese government to ensure that seafood workers from Myanmar are employed through ethical recruitment practices, and that they work legally in the Thai fishing sector.…”