National Day of Fisherpeople: challenges and risks in their working activities

Every June 29th, Peru and Ecuador celebrate the artisanal and industrial fisherpeople day, for honouring the persons who put their lives at risk for this activity, considered one of the most arduous and dangerous in the world.

Their work contributes to the national economies of both countries, through exports and job creation.

According to the Ministry of Production of Peru, the fishing sector represents 6.7% of the country's exports (2021) and 6.9% in the case of Ecuador, according to the National Chamber of Fisheries and the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments and Fisheries of that country (2023).

Furthermore, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI) in Peru, fishing generates a considerable number of jobs opportunities, around 133 thousand jobs per year, with more than 95 thousand fisherpeople, who are dedicated to extraction activities. Similarly, in Ecuador, there are around 180 thousand people who work directly in the country's fishing sector, both in the industrial and artisanal sectors, with around 87 thousand people dedicated to extraction activities, according to the National Survey of Employment, Unemployment and Underemployment (ENEMDU).

Challenges in their access to social protection

One of the great challenges in the Peruvian fishing sector is labour informality. According to INEI, most workers involved in the fishing sector work informally (around 84%), without access to labour rights or comprehensive social protection coverage. It should be noted that in the artisanal fishing sector is where the highest levels of informality are observed.

Likewise, in the Ecuadorian context, the situation is similar with 77% of workers dedicated to the extraction of the resource and 38% of people linked to fish processing who do not have coverage by the contributory social security system, according to the ENEMDU. This is one of the fundamental challenges for the future of the fishing sector in the country.

Safety and health at work

Given the adverse nature of the fishing activity, workers are exposed to multiple occupational risks, such as injuries and falls. According to the Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion of Peru, in the fishing and aquaculture sector, in 2022, 182 work accidents were reported. While, in Ecuador, according to the Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security, 337 reports of work accidents in fishing and aquaculture were reported in 2022. It is worth mentioning that from 2018 to 2022, registered cases reported a reduction of 5 .1 percent.

Some of the common occupational risks in the industrial and artisanal fishing activities include:

• Risks associated with climatic conditions
• Fall and slip hazards
• Risks of accidents with fishing equipment

Given this scenario, the Fair Fishing Project, implemented by the ILO, with the financial support of the United States Department of Labor (USDOL), seeks to improve the working conditions of workers in the fishing sector in Peru and Ecuador.

As part of our central strategy, we are committed with the provision of key technical inputs to key actors, allowing them to make better decisions based on quality information about the main barriers to decent work in the fishing sector," said José Roberto Morales, Project Coordinator, describing the project’s ongoing activities.

To know more details about the Fair Fishing Project, contact: proyectopesca@ilo.org