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Exploitation

Closing the Loophole: Exploitation of Migrant Fishing Workers

October 2024

In order to drive down labour costs, there has been an increasing reliance on non-European Economic Area (EEA) migrant fishers in the UK fishing industry. Lack of worker protections and oversight, poor conditions, and a significant power imbalance between worker and employer has meant that we are now seeing systemic exploitation of migrant fishers.

This briefing explores how the current system facilitates this exploitation and sets out key recommendations on how to address this situation.