Blog: Seafood

Op-ed: Fighting forced labor across tuna supply chains: Progress requires companies to work with fishers’ unions

March 14, 2025

On 12 March, four Indonesian fishers filed a lawsuit against Bumble Bee detailing egregious allegations of forced labor and abuse of workers on vessels that supply albacore to the U.S. market. The complaint details the harrowing stories of the men who left their villages to work on distant-water longline fishing vessels, based on promises of good jobs to provide for their families. 

 

Migrant Fishers in Taiwan Take Wi-Fi Now For Fishers’ Rights Campaign International

March 12, 2023

March 12, 2023

Migrants from across Asia work in Taiwan’s fishing fleet, catching seafood we eat every day. Working under harsh conditions and often facing danger, violence and abuse on the job, thousands of fishers have come together in a new campaign to demand fundamental labor rights.

On March 12, 2023, they took their campaign internationally, gathering with local and international NGO and labor allies in front of the Seafood Expo North America at the Boston Convention Center to demand that responsible sourcing of seafood that respects fundamental labor rights as set forth in ILO conventions and wi-fi access for all fishers on distant-water vessels be at the heart of the conversation about the global seafood industry.

Seafood Working Group Tackles Forced Labor and Environmental Abuses in Asia and the Pacific

August 5, 2020

Today, the Seafood Working Group (SWG) relaunches its research and advocacy coalition with 23 official members and a new Advisory Body . The SWG is a global coalition of human rights, labor and environmental non-governmental organizations working together to develop and advocate for effective government policy and industry action to end the related problems of forced labor and illegal and unsustainable fishing practices in the international seafood trade.

Improving Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Communications with Stakeholders Must Be A Two-Way Channel

June 26, 2020

 

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its report to the Chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, House of Representatives, last week called “Forced Labor: Better Communication Could Improve Trade Enforcement Efforts Related to Seafood.” The overall recommendation is that CBP improve its communication with stakeholders about what information is needed for enforcement actions to be taken under Section 307 of the Tariff Act.  Yet the GAO remained silent on the need for CBP to be more transparent about their decision process, the enforcement actions they take and status of the petitions filed.

COVID-19 Impact on Migrant Workers in Thailand

March 27, 2020

The partial lockdown of Bangkok and order by the Thai Interior Ministry to close 18 border points taking effect on March 23 triggered a mass exodus of migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, with estimates ranging between 60,000 and 200,000 people having left the country.  Few were able to practice social distancing in the crowded bus stations and border areas, raising fears of infection.

U.S. TIP Report 2019: A missed opportunity for Freedom of Association in Thailand?

July 1, 2019

The 2019 U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report was released last week. Rightly so, Thailand remained at its previous ranking of Tier 2. This ranking is reserved for countries that do not meet the minimum standards to address human trafficking but are making efforts to do so. Maintaining the Tier 2 status is consistent with the Thai Seafood Working Group’s recommendation, yet the U.S. government missed an opportunity to focus Thai authorities and businesses on the structural changes needed to prevent labor trafficking in the country.

International Buyers Must Prevent Thailand Backtracking on Convention

October 11, 2018

Many people around the world have been horrified by reports of human rights abuses in the seafood industry. A 2014 article in the Guardian sounded alarm bells that all seafood purchasers large and small should answer. But the issue of slavery in the seafood supply chain is larger and more complex than consumers or even companies can tackle alone. Large multinational companies have had to band together to form the Seafood Taskforce, and yet government action is still needed.

Worker Voice Without Worker Agency Fails Seafood Workers

May 4, 2018

“Worker voice” is the current buzzword among corporate social responsibility professionals seeking to end labor exploitation in the seafood industry, yet the original meaning of worker voice – in which workers form associations to collectively bargain for better conditions on an equal footing with employers – is nowhere to be found.

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