Systemic abuse and unchecked power drive deaths of migrant fishers on international waters, new study reveals

A groundbreaking study has revealed that the deaths of migrant fishers at sea stem from deep-rooted labor and governance failures rather than simple safety oversights. The research, published in Maritime Studies on January 27, exposes how migrant workers—particularly those from low-wage Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia—face violent and often fatal abuse aboard distant-water fishing vessels operating beyond any single nation’s jurisdiction.

The study analyzed 55 documented cases of Indonesian fishers who died or disappeared while working on vessels owned by or flagged under China, Taiwan, and South Korea. Lead author Christina Stringer from the University of Auckland’s Centre for Research on Modern Slavery found that these deaths result from systemic working conditions that grant boat captains absolute control over workers’ basic survival needs, making fatalities “a predictable outcome rather than isolated incidents.”

Using the concept of “necropolitics”—the power to decide who lives and dies—researchers demonstrated how captains wield life-and-death authority over crew members. Indonesian migrants report experiencing severe overwork, wage theft, debt bondage, and physical and sexual violence while trapped at sea for months without oversight or protection.

This research challenges the prevailing view that fisher deaths are primarily safety issues, instead revealing them as symptoms of exploitative labor systems that treat migrant workers as disposable. The findings highlight an urgent need for international governance reforms to protect vulnerable workers in one of the world’s most dangerous and unregulated industries.