Global campaigning network Greenpeace published a new investigative report on Thursday, detailing suspected illegal fishing and human rights abuses by suppliers of major United States seafood brand Bumble Bee and its owner, Taiwanese tuna trader FCF.

The “Fake My Catch – the unreliable traceability in our tuna cans” report by Greenpeace East Asia found that 13 of 119 Republic of China (Taiwan)-flagged and owned vessels identified from a sampling that supplied Bumble Bee had violated Taiwanese fishery regulations and are on the Taiwan Fisheries Agency’s illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) list, Greenpeace said in a statement.

Indicators of forced labor were identified in the report, based on interviews with fishermen who worked on board six of the vessels that supplied Bumble Bee and FCF, Greenpeace said.

Of the nine fishermen who worked on the six vessels supplying fish to Bumble Bee and FCF, all reported excessive overtime, while almost all reported the withholding of wages and illegal retention of identity documents, Greenpeace said.

Such actions are sometimes used by vessel operators or manpower agencies to deter individuals from leaving or terminating their contracts early, Greenpeace said.

Furthermore, fishermen also described the living and working conditions as harsh, Greenpeace added.

Greenpeace organizations have spent years documenting human rights abuses in FCF’s supply chain, said Mallika Talwar, Senior Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace U.S.

“Bumble Bee claims to be for people and the planet, but what we see in this report is a company skirting its responsibilities in order to make profit. The US is one of the world’s largest seafood importers and can wield significant influence in bringing forced labor at sea to an end,” Talwar said.

Catches from Taiwanese-owned vessel Da Wang, whose crew were indicted on charges related to forced labor and human trafficking, have been used to supply Bumble Bee, raising concerns that seafood tainted with forced labor has already been sold in the U.S. market, Greenpeace said.

Yuton Lee, Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia’s office in Taipei said the investigation shows how seafood companies risk taking advantage of vulnerable fishermen and that human rights abuse-tainted seafood can enter consumer markets all over the world.

“As one of the top three tuna traders in the world, FCF has great responsibility to stop this exploitation – for the health of our ocean, the lives of fishermen at sea, and for safe consumer choices,” Lee said.

In response, FCF issued a statement that said while it believes the Greenpeace East Asia report contains several inaccuracies, more progress can be made to ensure responsible labor practices are followed on tuna vessels.

“We are carefully reviewing allegations raised in regard to our supply chain,” FCF said.

FCF said it will continue to work with its suppliers and others in the industry to reduce IUU fishing across the globe and make further progress on responsible recruitment and treatment of all workers, FCF said.

“Globally, the fishing industry provides for the livelihood of an estimated 40 million people and industry-wide challenges can only be addressed through collaboration and a shared commitment to action and improvement with NGOs and governments worldwide,” FCF said.

Meanwhile, the Taiwan Fisheries Agency said in a statement that it is determined to deal with any violations according to the law.

“Taiwan’s fishery industry recognizes the importance of cracking down on IUU and protecting the human rights of migrant fishermen,” the Fisheries Agency said.

Efforts will be made to strengthen the protection of the rights of migrant fishermen, while specific facts regarding suspected violations should be provided to avoid false accusations, which may impact the fishing industry’s overall development and people’s livelihood, the Fisheries Agency said.

About 21,000 migrant fishermen are employed in Taiwan’s Distance Water Fishing (DWF) fleet, including around 13,000 Indonesians and 6,300 Filipinos, according to agency officials.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel