A joint study by the International Labor Organization and the Asian Research Center has raised concern about dire working conditions in the Thai fishing industry. The study revealed that many workers earn less than $160 a month for extremely labor intensive work, as well as instances of nonpayment of wages and employer trickery. A majority of workers in the industry are poor immigrants who do not have official work papers, leaving them outside the realm of government protection. ILO officials have encouraged boat operators to take safeguarding measures, including maintaining crew lists and writing work contracts.
See "Study finds dire work conditions on Thai trawlers", Pamela Sampson, ABC News, September 2, 2013