Insights from three NGOs collaborating to improve crew welfare in high-seas fisheries with electronic monitoring and Wi-Fi
On a hot, humid day in February 2024 in Pago Pago, American Samoa, electronic monitoring (EM) service providers rushed to finish installing the last cameras and equipment onboard three Taiwanese longline vessels. The vessels were set to depart for a 4-6 month fishing venture across the Pacific, eventually ending their journey in Taiwan. Caught between the smell of processed tuna, cigarette smoke, and agarwood incense, our team sat on the deck of a longliner after many long days of conversations with captains and Indonesian crew about EM and satellite Wi-Fi.
With the vessels equipped and ready to depart, we found ourselves at the end of our visit, capping months of coordination and planning with the moment of truth: sharing the Wi-Fi networks and passwords with the crew for the very first time. Finally, the EM and Wi-Fi systems were live—EM footage was being collected and ready for review and workers had access to Wi-Fi. For crew members, this was more than a technical upgrade—it would be a lifeline while at sea. The EM systems provided crew with a sense of security knowing they could lean on footage as needed to support grievances. Additionally, access to Wi-Fi now enabled workers to communicate with family, report concerns, and access critical information about their rights, marking a significant step toward reducing isolation and vulnerability at sea.
This moment marked a turning point in this first-of-its-kind, independent research project, funded by the Walmart Foundation. With vessels now out fishing and all technology systems fully operational, we began testing whether EM could capture labor rights indicators at sea—such as safety issues, working conditions and violence—alongside environmental indicators, and support timely remediation of violations. In the year leading up to this moment, Conservation International (CI), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Ocean Outcomes (O2), and industry partners worked to explore this potential, with Wi-Fi as the critical enabler for improving crew welfare at sea.
After six months of data collection, the results of the pilot project decisively demonstrated the potential of EM and Wi-Fi technologies to improve social responsibility in the fishing industry. It highlighted the need for comprehensive management systems—such as policies, procedures, and accountability structures for implementing EM and Wi-Fi—and enforceability, ethical safeguards, and collaboration with worker organizations to make these solutions effective and sustainable. While these results are promising, long-term success depends on binding agreements that guarantee Wi-Fi access and create clear pathways for workers to connect with grievance mechanisms and support on shore. Comprehensive results from this initial pilot phase can be found in our Monitoring for Change report.
Now, in the next phase of Electronic Monitoring and Connectivity for Crews at Sea (EMC4C), CI, TNC, O2, and Humanity Research Consultancy aim to scale EM and Wi-Fi across 10 vessels, and build on the success of the first phase to focus on improving connectivity for approximately 150 crews at sea through onboard Wi-Fi access and agreements, forming crew committees, and enhancing identification and reporting of labor issues through EM technology.
This work sits at the forefront of an emerging field where technology meets labor rights in global fisheries. Through EMC4C, we’ve seen how tools originally designed for environmental sustainability—like electronic monitoring—are increasingly dependent on connectivity. Because EM systems often require Wi-Fi to transmit data, expanding EM creates a natural opportunity to leverage new Wi-Fi installations not just for compliance, but to improve crew welfare and rights. When paired with connectivity, EM becomes more than a monitoring tool; it creates a bridge between companies and workers on vessels. As seafood companies adopt more digital tools for traceability and EM, there’s growing consensus that Wi-Fi is essential for enabling workers to access their rights and participate in sustainability and human rights due diligence efforts. This shift is paving the way for worker‑led solutions that will make fisheries more transparent, ethical, and resilient.
There is now, more than ever, a timely opportunity to share firsthand experiences, discuss important considerations such as ethics and technology financing, and move towards alignment on how these tools fit into a larger toolkit of accessible interventions. EM4Humanity will be the space within EM4Fish where we’ll share these experiences—the challenges, progress, and human dimensions of this work. We’ll dive into both the technical and social dimensions of EM and Wi-Fi technologies being implemented to support labor improvements and share what it’s like to work with diverse partners to improve crew welfare in high-seas fisheries.
We are bringing years of individual expertise and the experiences among our organizations together to drive on-the-water change. Let’s meet the team!
First up, we have Dr. Gabrielle Lout, the Social Responsibility Senior Manager at O2. Dr. Lout has been working at the nexus of labor rights and fisheries for the last 7 years. Her expertise has been shaped by time spent on board vessels engaging directly with captains and crew. She brings learnings from her research on Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology from ASU to bring an interdisciplinary perspective to her work. Her and the O2 team based in Taiwan are bringing technical expertise on labor rights and markets, and experience scaling adoption and implementation of EM and Wi-Fi at the vessel level, through trusted relationships with industry and local stakeholders in Northeast Asia.
Next up, we have Meghan Martin, the Ocean Science and Technology Manager for TNC’s Large-Scale Fisheries (LSF) Program. Meghan supports the broader LSF team in advancing the global uptake of EM across global industrial fisheries. She is primarily focused on exploring and advancing new technologies and innovative pathways for scaling EM, developing effective EM-enabled bycatch solutions, and leading on science-driven case studies that highlight the use case, feasibility, and wider benefits of implementing and adopting EM programs. TNC’s LSF team recognizes that there’s not always a “one size fits all” approach when it comes to EM and Wi-Fi solutions, that’s why they’re laser focused on delivering scalable, technical resources to governments and industry that improve fisheries transparency and enhance ecological and socioeconomic resilience through the design, development and implementation of science-driven EM programs.
Last up, Kim Rogovin, the newest member of the project team, serves as Labor Rights & Fisheries Program Manager at Conservation International, leading efforts to improve labor standards for crews in large-scale fisheries. She brings over a decade of experience supporting grassroots and labor organizations advocating for migrant workers across East and Southeast Asia. Before joining CI, she worked at Global Labor Justice, where she launched the Wi-Fi for Fishers’ Rights Campaign with frontline partners in Taiwan and coordinated the Seafood Working Group, a global coalition working to end forced labor and unsustainable fishing in the seafood trade. That collaborative, worker-centered approach now drives her work on EMC4C, where she’s focused on implementing tech solutions that connect fishers to support systems and grievance mechanisms on shore, while ensuring workers are active partners in shaping labor conditions.
In the coming months, we’ll be using EM4Humanity to share testimonials, challenging topics, and peer into the realities of scaling this work. It will be human-centric, capturing the stories from those directly impacted including vessel owners, captains, and crew, and the individuals implementing the work on-the-water. We’ve got a lot in store so, please stay tuned for what’s to come!
Until next time, best fishes,
Gabby, Meghan, & Kim
