A new report from the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) explores human rights abuses and their connection to illegal fishing in the global seafood industry.
Most of the abused fishers, according to the "Blood and water: Human rights abuse in the global seafood industry" report, are trafficked migrant workers.
The report documents numerous cases of abuse on vessels flying the flags of both developing and developed nations. It includes recent investigations revealing serious abuses on vessels ranging from Taiwanese tuna longliners to Vietnamese trawlers illegally entering Thai coastal waters because of the collapse of their own fisheries.
The EJF report also points out suggestions to address gaps in workers’ rights, fishing regulations, and enforcement procedures.
Recommendations include: automatic identification systems for fishing vessels, publishing up-to-date lists of fishing licenses, disclosing IUU fishing activities, banning trans-shipments at sea unless pre-authorized, as well as implementing a robust legal framework on human rights abuses.