The US State Department has retained Thailand on the Tier 2 Watchlist of its annual human trafficking index for the fourth year running, adding to fears that Thailand’s seafood exports continue to be linked to human trafficking, exploitation and murder.
EJF launched 'Sold to the Sea' in Spain this week at a press conference in Madrid hosted by Carlos Dominguez, Spanish Secretary General of the Sea. Carlos Dominguez welcomed the report and called for all stakeholders in the fisheries sector to work together to address human trafficking and human rights abuses on fishing boats.
We are delighted to announce that 30 leading restaurants are participating in this year's World Ocean's Day Restaurant Campaign. This year we are taking our message to a global audience through some of the best restaurants in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain and Hong Kong.
In Sold to the Sea, a new report published today, EJF exposes severe human rights abuses associated with human trafficking in Thailand's fishing industry and documents the testimonies of Burmese workers, as young as 16, who were forced onto fishing vessels for many months and subjected to arduous, often violent, working conditions without pay.
On the day of the Brussels Seafood Exposition, EJF has launched its new briefing, Bringing Fishing Vessels out of the Shadows, calling on the EU to demonstrate strong political leadership to support the establishment of a Global Record of fishing vessels.
EJF strongly supports the bipartisan bill to end pirate fishing introduced to the US Congress by Senators Rockefeller (D-WV), Murkowski (R-AK), Schatz (D-HI), Cantwell (D-WA) and others.
EJF has launched a new briefing on transhipment at sea. Using evidence EJF has gathered through its monitoring work in West Africa, this new briefing highlights the lack of control in authorised transhipments and the way that illegal transhipment at sea is widely used by IUU fishing vessels to gain access to market. EJF is calling for urgent action to address the issue of transhipments at sea, which will assist in the eradication of pirate fishing.
As Steve Trent, Executive Director of EJF, hosted a visit by the US Ambassador to the Sherbro River area of Sierra Leone last month, he reflected on how far we have come in the fight against pirate fishing and looked forward to future progress if all those involved and affected take greater responsibility.
EJF Director Juliette Williams and the EJF Oceans team attended a meeting with Carlos Dominguez, The Secretary General of Fisheries, and other Spanish Government officials in Madrid this week.
The Government of Gabon has temporarily halted the issuance of all industrial fishing licenses following the detection of illegal fishing by industrial trawlers last month.