Catholic sea ministry calls for regulators to promote human rights, labor protections

CNA Staff, Apr 7, 2025 / 06:00 am

A major U.K.-based Catholic seafarers ministry is calling on regulatory authorities to push for better labor conditions for workers in the seafood and fishing industries. 

Stella Maris, a support ministry for sea workers that boasts “the largest ship-visiting network in the world,” said in a statement to CNA that seafood certification programs “must adopt a stronger commitment to human rights due diligence” to ensure “labor protections,” “fair pay, safe working conditions,” and other measures to protect workers on the sea. 

Tim Hill, the organization’s CEO and national director, shared Stella Maris’ position paper with CNA in which the group called on “seafood certification bodies, governments, and industry leaders to take immediate and positive action” to secure those goals.

The industry should “work together to create a seafood industry that respects human dignity and ethical practices,” the group said. 

‘Every seafarer deserves fair working conditions’

Stella Maris originated in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1920. Originally named Apostleship of the Sea, the organization offers “practical and pastoral support, information, and a friend in times of need” to those who work on the water. 

In 2012, then-Pope Benedict XVI hailed the group’s “affectionate attention to those who cannot receive ordinary pastoral care.”

The Holy Father at the time addressed fishermen “who seek decent and safe working conditions, safeguarding the dignity of your families, the protection of the environment, and the defense of every person’s dignity,” assuring those workers of “the Church’s closeness,” including through the sea ministry. 

Though it has long offered religious ministry to seaworkers, Stella Maris has also advocated for improved labor conditions. Last year it called on the British government to take action to protect fishermen amid reports of modern-day slavery and human trafficking among shippers. 

In its recent call for improved labor conditions, the group pointed to the U.N.’s International Labor Organization Convention 188, which set forth a list of protections for fishing workers, including wage requirements and occupational safety. 

Many fishing nations “have yet to ratify” the document, Stella Maris said, “leaving fishers vulnerable to exploitation, forced labor, and unsafe conditions.”

The group said it advocates the ratification of those labor standards as well as other measures such as crackdowns on illegal fishing, labor trafficking, excessive working hours, and stolen wages. 

Also important, the group said, is access to Wi-Fi internet on fishing boats.

“Many fishers often spend long periods at sea in isolation, making it hard for them to contact the outside world, impacting their mental health and ability to report abuse,” Stella Maris said. Wi-Fi access can serve to help fishers “report problems and learn about their rights.”

Praising the ministry for its spiritual and material support of fishing workers, Pope Francis in 2022 urged Stella Maris to continue “drawing attention to the issues which deprive many within the maritime community of their God-given human dignity.”

Stella Maris, meanwhile, in its paper called for “effective oversight mechanisms” for certification programs as well as “greater transparency, accountability, and collaboration with civil society” on the part of seafood leaders.

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Unions and welfare groups “should be at the center” of the certification process, they argued, to “verify working conditions on boats and in processing places.” Violators, meanwhile, should be required to implement plans to address labor issues.

The group said it would continue working “to create a seafood industry that upholds human dignity, justice, and ethical responsibility.”