SeafoodSource, October 10, 2023
In October, The Outlaw Ocean Project, a nonprofit journalism organisation, released a report in The New Yorker shedding light on forced labour in the Chinese seafood industry. They found that over 1000 Uyghur, an ethnic minority, were relocated to work in processing facilities owned by at least 10 Chinese companies. The project found many of the companies using forced labour had been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, and many seafood products have made it into the U.S. supply chain.
The MSC relies on social audits to identify human rights violations and forced labour during assessments. It is clear that these audits are not stringent enough to prevent fisheries using forced labour from gaining certification. We have not seen any statements from MSC on the status of these certifications. It is completely unacceptable for a fishery to gain a label of sustainability in the marketplace, while committing such atrocious human rights violations.
Read the full Report in The New Yorker.
- Social audits for MSC, ASC, BRC certification likely missed evidence of Uyghur forced labor, Seafood Source, October 16 2023.
- Eleven Chinese plants linked to forced labor were MSC-certified, Undercurrent news, October 13th 2023.
- Forced Labor in China’s Seafood Industry Explored at Hearing, Congressional-Executive Commission on China
