27 international researchers who are experts in fisheries and fisheries labour from 24 universities and policy institutes worldwide have signed this open letter expressing concern at this critical moment whereby the Thai government is considering rollbacks of some of the fisheries policy reforms that were put in place starting in 2014. Learn more about this initiative here (in Thai). Read the letter in English and Thai.
Project researchers are quoted in the June 2023 issue of Labour Research. In the article—Global Seafood industry: ‘The most dangerous industry,’—Jason Moyer-Lee reports on the formidable obstacles to union organizing in the sector. The issue asks if public inquiries lead to meaningful change.
Check out this Global Labour Justice campaign to make Wi-Fi available at sea for Taiwan’s migrant fishers to ensure access to fundamental labour rights (August 2023)
Changing All Conditions of Fishing Workers (A video interview with Peter Vandergeest, Professor Emeritus and Senior Scholar, York University. 9 December 2022)
Working conditions in the fishing industry and the impact on sustainability (Recorded lecture for York University Alumni by Peter Vandergeest, Professor Emeritus and Senior Scholar, York University. 22 April 2022)
New Rules Fall Short of Protecting Migrant Workers in Korea's Fishing Fleet (Environmental Justice Foundation, 29 January 2021)
New research on impacts of COVID-19 on migrant workers in seafood supply chain (YFile, 12 January 2021)
Thailand's coronavirus response was hailed as an early success story, but cases are now surging (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 6 January 2021)
AIS and Labour Abuses on Board (Francisco Blaha, 24 December 2020)
The Globe and Mail published Peter Vandergeest’s Letter To The Editor on lockdown in the Asia Pacific region (11 November 2020)
Trapped by Pandemic, Ships’ Crews Fight Exhaustion and Despair (New York Times, 9 September 2020)
Philippine fishermen stranded at sea by pandemic: 'We think about jumping overboard' (LA Times, 8 September 2020)
Thailand lockdown: Jobless and trapped migrant workers in limbo (Al Jazeera, 22 May 2020, video).
Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF). 2020. Illegal Fishing and Human Rights Abuses in the Taiwanese Fishing Fleet. London, UK: Environmental Justice Foundation.
Greenpeace East Asia. 2020. Choppy Waters: Forced Labour and Illegal Fishing in Taiwan’s Distant Water Fisheries.
International Labour Organization (ILO). 2020. Endline Research Findings on fishers and seafood workers in Thailand.
International Maritime Organization (IMO). 2020. 400,000 seafarers stuck at sea as crew change crisis deepens. International Maritime Organization, 24 September.
Rogovin, K. 2020. Time for a Sea of Change. Why Union Rights for Migrant Workers are Needed to Prevent Forced Labour in the Thai Seafood Industry. Washington, D.C.: International Labour Rights Reform.
Wilhelm, M., A. Kadfak, V. Bhakoo, and K. Skattang. 2020. Private governance of human and labor rights in seafood supply chains: The case of the modern slavery crisis in Thailand. Marine Policy.
Environmental Justice Foundation. 2019. Blood and Water: Human Rights Abuse in the Global Seafood Industry.
Environmental Justice Foundation. 2020. Illegal Fishing and Human Rights Abuses in the Taiwanese Fishing Fleet.
Greenpeace Southeast Asia and SBMI (Indonesia). 2019. Seabound: The Journey to Modern Slavery on the High Seas.
Human Rights At Sea (HRAS). 2019. Human Rights at Sea Baseline Study On the Awareness and Application of Human Rights in Taiwan’s Fishing Industry.
CSO Coalition. 2018. Falling through the Net: A Survey of Basic Labour Rights among Migrants Working in Thailand’s Fishing Sector. CSO Coalition for Ethical and Sustainable Seafood.
Human Rights Watch (HRW). 2018. Hidden Chains: Rights Abuse and Forced Labor in Thailand’s Fishing Industry. New York City: Human Rights Watch.
International Labour Organization. 2018. Ship to Shore Rights: Baseline Research on Fishers and Seafood Workers in Thailand. Bangkok: ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
Chantavanich, S., S. Laodumrongchai, and C. Stringer. 2016. Under the shadow: Forced labour among sea fishers in Thailand. Marine Policy 68: 1–7.
International Organization for Migration. 2016. Report on Human Trafficking, Forced Labour and Fisheries Crime in the Indonesian Fishing Industry. Jakarta, Indonesia.
