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Misery at Sea 1 CHAPTER 2: MISERY AT SEA Misery at sea Human suffering in Taiwan’s distant water fishing fleet 2 GREENPEACE REPORT: MISERY AT SEA 3 CONTENTS Contents 2. Misery at sea 19 Impunity in Taiwan: Convicted Human Traffickers Continue to Recruit 20 Introduction 4 Background 21 Investigations in Taiwan 22 A problem that won’t go away 6 Where are the human traffickers now? 23 A broken system 6 Should Taiwan retain Tier 1 status in the Trafficking in Persons report? 26 Action is more needed than ever 7 The abuse and death of Supriyanto 28 3. Muddied Waters: Images and video of Systemic enablers Supriyanto uncovered 30 of misery at sea 52 Supriyanto’s agonizing death at sea 32 Control Yuan Slam fisheries agency investigation 33 Governmental Factors 52 Was Supriyanto another victim Weak enforcement by regulators 52 of trafficking or forced labor? 34 Incoherent, unenforced laws 54 Conclusions 62 Recruitment agents and the role of A history of violence: Tunago No. 61 37 Fishermen’s Associations: A conflict of interest? 55 Recommendations 63 Current situation 38 1. The lay of the land 9 Dr. Ian Goodwin’s analysis 43 Blurring Supply Chains 56 Yet another example of uninvestigated Flags of convenience 56 exploitation in Taiwan’s fishing Distant water fishing: A broken model 12 industry? 44 Front companies 58 FCF: The biggest fish in Taiwan 14 The FCF connection 46 Transshipment at sea 60 Report methodology 16 Conclusion 48 Impenetrable supply chains 61 Endnotes 64 Up // Qianzhen fish market auction scene in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. 4 GREENPEACE REPORT: MISERY AT SEA 5 INTRODUCTION Above // Frozen tuna are loaded onto Above // Qianzhen fish market auction a truck at Dong Gang holesale fish scene in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. market, Dong Gang, Kaohsiung. © // Shutterstock.com © // Alex Hofford, Greenpeace This report makes for shocking interest in Taiwan’s fisheries, New York Times and the Guardian, indifference of industry itself is no and harrowing reading. Its find- and distant water fishing (DWF) and international NGOs such as less scandalous. ings should concern everyone fleets generally, some of the case Greenpeace, have investigated Introduction studies in this report will not connected to the seafood industry and reported appalling stories In Misery at Sea. we report on — from consumers to workers and come as a surprise. Stories of se- from the furthest reaches of our ongoing problems in the Taiwan- vessel operators, and those who rious human rights abuses, poor oceans. ese DWF fleet, the continued manage and govern this critical labor standards, dire working failure of Taiwanese authorities to global industry. It should con- conditions, and the use of fishing And yet for all the reporting, the effectively sanction human rights cern everyone who values human techniques that harm our oceans stories and research presented in abuses, and we provide testimony rights and the rule of law. and the life in them, have been this new investigation are no less from fishermen whose young lives well reported. Many of the world’s appalling, the passive approach have been ruined by this broken For those who follow or have an leading news outlets such as the of Taiwanese authorities and the industry. 6 GREENPEACE REPORT: MISERY AT SEA 7 INTRODUCTION A problem that Action is more won’t go away needed than ever Our new investigation, Misery at bodian company involved in owned vessel endured European Union (EU) and United Sea, delivers a number of compel- serious human rights abuses appalling physical and mental States (US) schemes to sanction ling case studies that show how, involving dozens of Cambo- abuse for months before Illegal, Unreported, and Unreg- despite earlier cases brought to dian nationals, continue to the attack. Their harrowing ulated (IUU) fishing and human the authorities’ attention, serious recruit into the Taiwanese stories do not excuse their trafficking have provided impe- problems in Taiwan’s seafood fishing industry with impunity actions, but they offer an tus for some improvements, but supply chains continue to this day. from the Taiwanese authori- insight into their appalling as our new investigation makes These problems impact some of ties. working conditions, and clear, much more work is needed Taiwan’s biggest seafood compa- show young lives wasted to improve Taiwan’s fisheries. nies and have serious implications • Evidence of the suffering by a broken industry, where for the global seafood industry. endured by Indonesian fisher- abuse seems to be routinely On the basis of the evidence pre- These are problems compound- man Supriyanto in the lead- tolerated and even used sented in this new investigation, ed by the failure of the Taiwan’s up to his horrific death, and to ensure that inhumane Greenpeace believes that it is vi- government and authorities to of the failure by the vessel working conditions and wages tal to keep the Taiwanese fishing deliver adequate reform or pursue master to prevent his death, are maintained. industry under close scrutiny and appropriate sanctions against and that these facts have to maintain pressure on Taiwan- law-breakers. been ignored or dismissed by • That big traders have a major ese authorities to act to resolve the Taiwanese prosecutor. responsibility to reform if outstanding problems. The report reveals: the existing business mod- • Fishermen convicted of the el, which appears based on Part of that overarching scrutiny • Convicted human traffickers, murder of their Chinese human exploitation, is to be should continue to come from the who set up and ran a Cam- captain aboard a Taiwanese- ended for good. EU maintaining its yellow card category for Taiwan, and from the US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) category II status. These should remain in place to help drive further reform and to send a clear signal to markets around the world that there are serious problems still to resolve in Taiwanese DWF. What emerges in the pages of this report is not just another damning indict- Above // A local fishmonger cleans and slices a large tuna fish at the Sinda ment of Taiwan’s DWF and those fish market in Kaohsiung, Taiwan A broken system responsible for managing them, but © // Shutterstock.com a serious case for the rejection of the broken model of distant water fisheries that operate in many of the world’s oceans. Our concluding recommendations Endemic human rights abuses and sustainability, driven by the these crimes, the stage is set for address the situation in Taiwan, and poor environmental stand- relentless pressure of constant serious human rights abuses, dire but would be equally applicable ards are encouraged by key global demand for huge quanti- labor conditions and poor envi- to any fleet or country running a elements of the DWF business ties of cheap seafood. ronmental standards that, as this similarly broken and destructive model. investigation shows, continue to DWF operation. Sadly, there are When this model of DWF oper- this day. many others in urgent need of These include, unsustainable ations combine with Taiwan’s reform if we are to fully eliminate fishing capacity, and low-cost/ weak regulatory framework, and the human rights abuses and low standard operations that val- lack of political will to put pres- suffering described in this inves- ue volume and profit over quality sure on its industry or prosecute tigation. 8 GREENPEACE REPORT: MISERY AT SEA 9 CHAPTER 1: THE LAY OF THE LAND Chapter 1: The lay of the land Plagued by environmental and its concerns about Taiwan’s DWF human rights abuses1,2,3,4, Taiwan’s fleet’s conduct. In October 2015 DWF fleet has become a major the EU issued a “yellow card”6 embarrassment for a global fish- to Taiwan, stating: ing power that relies on its cred- ibility and reputation for market share. Often occurring far out at sea, or masked by complex supply “The decision to issue a yellow chains, this criminal behaviour has increasingly come to light as card to Taiwan is based on seafood workers speak out and NGOs and media investigate. serious shortcomings in the A 2016 Greenpeace report, Made fisheries legal framework, a in Taiwan,5 exposed systemic IUU fishing, egregious human system of sanctions that does rights abuses, and an ineffective Taiwanese Fisheries Agency (FA) not deter IUU fishing, and lack repeatedly failing to uncover, Above // Cloudy day in Xizi Bay, prosecute, or resolve widespread of effective monitoring, control Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. offending. and surveillance of the long- In this new investigative report, Greenpeace will show that, distance fleet. despite legislative attempts to tackle these serious problems, they continue to exist in Taiwan’s seafood industry. These problems Furthermore Taiwan does not involve or impact on key Taiwan- ese suppliers and consequently systematically comply with global supply chains. Taiwan’s governmental and Fisheries As- Regional Fisheries Management sociation’s actions in response to earlier exposed cases have been Organisation (RFMO) largely ineffective. obligations.”7 Greenpeace is far from alone in 10 GREENPEACE REPORT: MISERY AT SEA 11 CHAPTER 1: THE LAY OF THE LAND At the time of writing, the EU’s where these crimes were not tak- serious and sustained efforts yellow card remains in place, and en seriously enough. to address human trafficking5, Taiwan’s DWF industry contin- The 2016 TIP report noted that but raised concerns that lenient ues to be beset by allegations of there had been no arrests or con- penalties were disproportionate illegal fishing and human rights victions for trafficking violations to serious crimes, and noted that abuses. on Taiwanese fishing vessels, authorities sometimes treated but that prosecutors and judges trafficking cases as mere labor Following the issuing of the EU tended to treat trafficking cases disputes. yellow card, Trafficking in Persons as relatively minor crimes.
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