A recent investigation by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) published on 25 February has uncovered that Chinese tuna fishing vessels in the Southwest Indian Ocean reportedly used North Korean crew members from 2019 to 2024, likely violating UN sanctions. Many of these crew members faced severe abuses, often being trapped at sea for years and working on vessels involved in illegal fishing and the killing of dolphins.
“The use of North Korean labour on board Chinese fishing vessels is a damning indictment of the failure to regulate our oceans. Illegal fishing and human rights abuses can be found almost without exception on board China’s distant-water vessels. However, the use of North Korean forced labour for such long periods is a particularly severe example of the egregious misconduct uncovered by EJF.” Steve Trent, CEO and Founder of the Environmental Justice Foundation, said.
Through interviews with Indonesian and Filipino sailors, EJF identified North Koreans on 12 tuna longliners. This marks the first documented instance of North Korean labour on distant-water fishing vessels. The crew members faced extreme restrictions on their freedoms and were transferred from ship to ship through a method called trans-shipment to avoid returning to land.
Testimonies reveal that captains concealed their presence, with crew members experiencing physical and verbal abuse and excessive overtime. The investigation highlights broader issues of illegal fishing and human rights abuses related to the Chinese fleet in the region. EJF calls for urgent transparency measures from flag states and fisheries organisations to combat forced labour at sea.
“The ripple effects of this can be felt far and wide, with the fish caught using this illegal labour reaching seafood markets across the world. China bears the bulk of the responsibility, but when products tainted by modern slavery can be found on our own plates, it is clear that collective responsibility needs to be taken by Flag states and regulating bodies as well. Failure to take the necessary, low- or no-cost steps to end this outlined by the Charter for Fisheries Transparency, from mandatory transmission of AIS signals to the elimination or close monitoring of trans-shipment, means turning a blind eye to extreme, avoidable suffering,” added Trent.
