This Handbook on improving living and working conditions on board fishing vessels has been developed to assist competent authorities, representative organizations of employers and workers (in particular, representative organizations of fishing vessel owners and fishers), as well as others with an interest in the sector, in order to gain a better understanding of the provisions of Convention No. 188 and Recommendation No. 199. In particular, it attempts to look at each of the provisions of these standards from the point of view of government officials, fishing vessel owners, fishers and inspectors.
This may help to stimulate national tripartite discussion and may encourage States to take concrete steps towards implementation and ratification of the Convention. Most importantly, whether or not a State decides to ratify the Convention immediately or otherwise, the Handbook will be a useful tool for looking at the current legal protection of fishers, for analyzing the situation, and for making improvements.