Migrant fishers’ “Rights on the Line”

A new report from the Harry Bridges Center examines the working conditions of migrant fishers coming through Washington state ports

The following is from the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies:

SEATTLE, WA (August 19, 2026) — The Bridges Center research team is proud to present “Rights on the Line: Policy and Regulatory Gaps Affecting Migrant Fishers in Washington State Ports.” This project examines the working experiences of migrant fishers who have docked or offloaded catch in Washington state ports. It is a mixed-methods study that incorporates policy and regulatory data analysis with interview findings from fishers and a range of subject matter experts in commercial fishing, highly migratory species, human trafficking, regulatory environments, and more.

In this research project, our researchers seek to better understand the experiences of migrant fishers who dock or unload catch at Washington state ports. They gathered information from fifteen migrant fishers, fourteen U.S. citizen fishers, and over thirty-five subject matter experts.
This report covers a range of topics related to the conditions and experiences of migrant fishers, including historical and current labor relationships between the United States and our interviewed migrant fishers’ home countries, recommendations for applicable regulations and policies, and examples of approaches and limitations to combating forced labor.

Photo: Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies

Selected key findings from the report:

• Exemptions in U.S. law, codified through the Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Anti-Reflagging Act of 1987, allow migrant fishers to work without work authorization or U.S. work visas and leave them vulnerable to forced labor and exploitation.

• All migrant fishers who were interviewed experienced indicators of forced labor.

• Migrant and U.S. citizen fishers reported difficult living and working conditions with many challenges to establishing safe workplaces.

• Additional worker-centered research is needed to better understand and support the needs of Washington’s commercial fishers and their industry.

This report was developed by the Bridges Center’s Research Team, Rachel Erstad, Maya Cruz, Kait Johnson, and Justin Hirsch. Please reach out to Bridges Center Research Director Rachel Erstad, with any questions at rerstad@uw.edu.

The full report is available for viewing and downloading on our website: labor.uw.edu/rights-on-the-line-report.

The Harry Bridges Endowed Chair in Labor Studies was established in 1992, in memory of the legendary founding president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. It was funded by a grassroots effort of one thousand union members giving $1,000 each, and thus creating the only endowed chair in the United States to honor a labor leader. Thirty years later, the chair has grown into the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, a full-fledged program dedicated to labor education and research. Hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled in labor classes, awarded scholarships and research grants, and provided hands-on labor movement experiences through student internships.

For more information about the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, please visit labor.uw.edu.