Alleged forced labour practices onboard Taiwanese distant water fishing vessels which include withholding workers’ personal identity documents and debt bondage, alongside reported cases of shark finning, have been linked to Bumble Bee branded canned tuna products sold in the United States, an illuminating new report from Greenpeace Southeast Asia has claimed.

Investigating complaints from 10 Indonesian fishers filed with the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SMBI) between the years 2019 and 2024, the report – titled Netting Profits, Risking Lives: The Unresolved Human and Environmental Exploitation at Sea – has uncovered links to 12 Taiwanese-flagged vessels. Four of these vessels have been found to have supplied the popular US tuna brand, Bumble Bee.

It’s believed that these four vessels have been supplying Bumble Bee – a brand which is owned by the Taiwanese tuna trader, FCF – across multiple trips and over a number of years.

The Greenpeace report, which was compiled in collaboration with SBMI, is to be published in commemoration of Human Rights Day, taking place on Tuesday, 10th December.

Speaking out against the conditions, a fisher from one of the vessels (talking with SBMI and Greenpeace under the pseudonym Firman) reported excessive working hours under harsh conditions. In his account, he had fainted several times due to being overworked, but was still pressured to keep working. The investigation also found that some of the tuna caught by Firman and his crew mates ended up in a can of Bumble Bee tuna in a supermarket in Maine.

Campaigners at Greenpeace believe, however, that given the nature of the Bumble Bee business and how it operates, a lot more remains to be uncovered.

“As Bumble Bee neither publishes a vessel list nor any public information on their grievance policy, what our research uncovered is likely the tip of the iceberg,” said Arifsyah Nasution, global lead for Beyond Seafood campaign and senior oceans campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

“Therefore, Greenpeace will continue doing investigations to uncover the murky side of the seafood supply chain and advocate for more fair, just, and sustainable global seafood industry for the sake of fishers, consumers, and our ocean’s future.”

Out of the ten cases investigated, the Greenpeace report said that:

• All fishers reported they were deceived into exploitative situations and had their personal identity documents withheld by recruitment agencies, which left them unable to leave and find other jobs.
• Some 92% of fishers reported they experienced abuse of vulnerability and debt bondage, trapping them in a vicious cycle of debt and exploitation.
• Six out of the 12 Taiwanese-flagged fishing vessels in the report were associated with activities considered illegal, unreported, or unregulated such as undetected transshipment (catch transfers at sea) and fishing in Marine Protected Areas.
• Fishers’ testimonies also highlighted instances of shark finning, which has been banned by most Regional Fisheries Management Organisations.

Both the Bumblebee Bee brand and the vessel companies identified in the report have been asked about such allegations. All of them are yet to respond.

“The push for overfishing, for modern slavery at sea, for shark finning all come from the same source: exploitation in the name of profits. Businesses, like Bumble Bee and other tuna brands, need to own up to their responsibility and the role they play in this industry,” said Charli Fritzner, Beyond Seafood project lead for Greenpeace USA.

The Indonesian Migrant Workers Union is now not only calling on the Indonesian government to “do a better job” in protecting the rights of migrant fishers but demanding the governments of both Taiwan and the US do more to ensure their businesses are slavery free.

“Together, SBMI and Greenpeace Indonesia have been pushing for changes in the last decade and we will continue to do so until we witness significant improvements,” said SBMI chairman, Hariyanto Suwarno.

“Netting Profits, Risking Lives: The Unresolved Human and Environmental Exploitation at Sea” is the third edition of Greenpeace Southeast Asia-Indonesia and SBMI’s Seabound report series. While the previous two only focused on forced labour and illegal fishing allegations, this year’s report has highlighted financial exploitations.

Fishers’ complaints and policy analysis revealed that many migrant fishers reported to be illegally charged recruitment fees, which ranged from one to four months average salary, despite Indonesia’s law requiring employers to shoulder such expenses.

Oceanographic Magazine has reached out to Bumblee Bee tuna brand for comment.

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