June 18, 2014 — This week, SeafoodSource is waiting, along with the entire Thai seafood industry and any importers that source from Thailand, to see the latest Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report from the U.S. State Department.
The Thai government and fishing industry have been under intense pressure to stop what is being described as modern-day human slavery on board Thai fishing vessels.
There are two possible outcomes: Upgrade Thailand to Tier 2, which would mean the country has made enough of a dent in human trafficking problems to prove it’s taking the matter seriously, or downgrade Thailand to Tier 3, the lowest possible grade, a move that will surely lead to trade sanctions of some kind.
Some of the more graphic depictions of the trafficking issue have come in two disturbing reports, the first from the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) in June 2013, depicting the results of the NGO’s investigation. The other came earlier this month from The Guardian, a British newspaper that spent six months proving that CP Foods, one of the largest shrimp producers in Thailand, was sourcing fishmeal from fishing vessels that were virtual floating prisons.