The research paper of ILS Chief Labor and Employment Officer, Brenalyn A. Peji, was published in the September 2017 issue of the Samudra Report, which is the tri-annual publication of the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF).

Titled “A Study on Decent Work of Tuna Hand Line Fishermen in the Philippines,” the study focuses on commercial tuna handline fishermen on board small-scale (3.1 to 20 gross registered tonnage, GRT) and medium-scale (21.1 to 150 GRT) fishing vessels in General Santos City, South Cotabato, which is regarded as the ‘tuna capital’ of the Philippines. Many in the local population are engaged in fishing using traditional methods like handline fishing.

Tuna handline fishing in the country is regarded as one of the most important commercial tuna fishing industries, given its social benefits and contribution to the economy of southern Philippines. However, based on the results of the study, tuna handline fishing is increasingly threatened by a number of issues such as environmental degradation, poor access to technical information and inadequate management and regulatory systems.

The study also reveals that the conditions of work for tuna handline fishermen are influenced by various factors like socioeconomic characteristics, long-standing practices, particularly the ‘sharing system’ for fishermen’s pay, and informal arrangements that are largely controlled by financiers..

ICSF is an international non-governmental organization that works toward the establishment of equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector.

Another research paper of Ms Peji titled “Gap Analysis of ILO Convention188, Work in Fishing Convention, 2007,” was also cited in the same report.

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