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Fishing is among the most dangerous jobs, with high injury and mortality rates.

The Claim

In 2021, the International Labour Organization stated that fishing has high rates of occupational accidents and work-related mortality compared with other productive activities, especially in artisanal fishing where informality predominates and labor protection systems are very limited.

Verified by Lenz ·

The Short Version

The core statement is well supported: ILO and independent evidence show fishing has very high occupational injury and mortality risks, with artisanal and informal fisheries often facing weaker protections. The limitation is that the provided evidence does not verify this exact wording in a specific 2021 ILO statement. Regional and fleet-level risk also varies, so the comparison should not be read as uniform everywhere.

Caveats

  • The evidence supports the substance of the claim more clearly than the specific attribution to a 2021 ILO statement.
  • Fishing risk is exceptionally high overall, but fatality and injury rates vary by country, fleet type, and working conditions.
  • The link between artisanal fishing, informality, and weak labor protection is common in many settings, not an identical global pattern in every fishery.

The Receipts

  1. Statistics on safety and health at work

    ILOSTAT - International Labour Organization

  2. Fishing

    ILO Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety

  3. Fatal occupational injuries in fishing, farming and forestry 2010–2015

    PubMed Central / National Center for Biotechnology Information

  4. Safety and health in fisheries

    Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

  5. International comparison of occupational injuries among commercial fishers

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  6. More Than 100,000 Fishing-Related Deaths Occur Each Year, Study Finds

    The Pew Charitable Trusts

  7. Occupational health and safety in the fishing industry

    PubMed Central

  8. ILO survey finds forced labor risks persist in Southeast Asian fisheries

    Global Seafood Alliance

  9. Why the Numbers Matter - A White Paper

    FISH Safety Foundation

  10. Diagnóstico sobre condiciones de seguridad y salud en el trabajo en pesca artesanal

    Fondo de Riesgos Laborales de Colombia

+ 3 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

International Labour Organization