June 30, 2017 โ In 2015, more than 2,000 enslaved fishermen were rescued from brutal conditions in the seas around Indonesia. Some had been savagely beaten while others had been kept in cages. Slave labor was found off these fishing boats as well: In one scenario, seafood workers were forced to peel frozen shrimp for 16 hours a day.
Wracked by these and other stories in the Pulitzer Prize-winning series from the Associated Press chronicling slavery, abysmal working conditions, and restricted freedoms, the extent of the abuse was shocking given the seafood industryโs recent global focus on environmental sustainability. However, existing seafood labelsโmost notably, the blue Marine Steward Council labelโfocus almost exclusively on the management and environmental impact of fisheries. These traceability standards largely neglect workforce concerns.
Early actions from the complex web of seafood suppliers, distributors, and retailers to address human rights abuses were fragmented and ineffective at best. For example, a European Union threat to ban seafood imports from Thailand led Thai authorities to enact legislation to combat illegal fishing and prevent underage labor, and arrest more than 100 people on human rights violations. But watchdog groups continued to find abuses months later.
Over the last year, members of social responsibility and environmental non-governmental organizations met with leading academics and business leaders to hash out key elements necessary to achieve socially responsible seafood. The primary objectivesโprotecting human rights, ensuring equitable production, and improving food security for resource-dependent communitiesโwere detailed at the beginning of June in the journal Science.
โItโs not enough to be slavery-free,โ said Jack Kittinger, senior director of the Global Fisheries and Aquaculture Program at Conservation International and co-author of the paper. โThere are other social issuesโnotably gender equity and livelihood securityโthat need to be tackled as well,โ he added.