Why are we doing this research?
Despite growing attention to labour abuses in global fishery supply chains, effective remedies for exploited fishers remain limited and uneven. Existing legal frameworks—at domestic, regional, and international levels—offer only partial and often fragmented pathways to justice. Structural barriers such as weak extraterritorial enforcement, jurisdictional complexity, commercial opacity in supply chains, and the vulnerability of migrant fishers continue to hinder accountability and access to justice.
What we are doing
This research project investigates how existing legal regimes operate in practice to identify persistent accountability gaps and explore how legal, administrative, and non-state mechanisms can be reformed or strengthened to provide more effective remedies for fishers experiencing modern slavery. The project combines doctrinal legal analysis, regulatory mapping, and stakeholder engagement across Indo-Pacific jurisdictions.
Key activities include:
- Systematic mapping of national, regional (ASEAN, Bali Process, Pacific Island mechanisms) and international (UNCLOS, ILO, IMO) frameworks relevant to remedy;
- Case studies across multiple jurisdictions of individuals and groups who are seeking remedy to explore how different legal and institutional actors handle remedy claims in practice;
- Semi-structured interviews with regulators, CSOs, unions, port authorities, companies, and international organisations engaged in remediation processes;
- Comparative analysis of enforcement gaps, innovative remedy mechanisms, and opportunities for cross-regime coordination.
How are we making an impact?
The project’s findings will inform both academic scholarship and policy development, including recommendations for strengthening remedy frameworks under Australia’s Modern Slavery Act and regional cooperative initiatives. Engagement with diverse stakeholders is central to ensuring the research is grounded in operational realities and policy practice.
Research team
This project brings together an interdisciplinary legal research team with expertise in international human rights law, the law of the sea, and business and human rights.
- Professor Justine Nolan, Australian Human Rights Institute, UNSW Faculty of Law & Justice
- Professor Natalie Klein, UNSW Faculty of Law & Justice
- Professor Shelley Marshall, RMIT University School of Law
- Gavan Blau, Australian Human Rights Institute
Who is advising the project?
An advisory group is made up of:
Surya Deva (Macquarie University) Jon Hartough (ITF Southeast Asia Regional Coordinator for Fisheries), Jason Judd (Global Labor Institute, Cornell University), Harpreet Kaur (UNDP), Archana Kotecha (Remedy Project), Darian McBain (seafood industry, modern slavery), Ruwan Subasinghe (ITF Representative), Chris Williams (ITF Fisheries Section Director).
Starting in August 2025, this four-year project is funded by the Australian Research Council, under Discovery Project (DP250102044).
Hero image: Migrant fishers working aboard Thai fishing vessels (Gavan Blau)