Fishermen sue Bumble Bee, claim canned tuna giant knew of abuse in its supply chain

SAN DIEGO -- Lawyers representing four Indonesian fishermen who say they were beaten and trapped on vessels that were part of the global supply chain that provided tuna to Bumble Bee Seafoods filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the canned seafood giant.

It is believed to be the first such case of forced labor at sea brought against a U.S. seafood company, the men’s lawyer, Agnieszka Fryszman, said.

U.S. companies that benefit from forced labor and undercut other businesses need to be held accountable, Fryszman said.

“What you see is really devastating,” she said.

The lawsuit accuses the company headquartered in San Diego of violating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. The law allows foreigners who suffered from human trafficking to sue U.S. businesses that knew or should have known that they were profiting from forced labor.

Bumble Bee did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press requesting comment.

The fisherman are all from villages in Indonesia and worked for longline vessels owned by Chinese companies from which Bumble Bee sourced its albacore tuna, according to the lawsuit. They say they were beaten regularly by their captains.

One fisherman named Akhmad, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, said he was hit by a metal hook and forced to work even after being injured on the job by a load of fish that gashed open his leg to the bone. Another fisherman, Syafi’i, said he received no medical care for severe burns and was ordered to return to work to pay to eat. All the men said they asked to go home and even tried to go on strike on board, according to the lawsuit.

The boats stayed out at sea while supply ships provided provisions and collected the catch. The men were strapped with debt from food bills and other fees and the threat of fines if they quit, Fryszman said.

Bumble Bee had been warned of inhumane conditions in its supply chain over the years. In 2020, accounts of abusive conditions and forced labor prompted the U.S. to halt imports from a Taiwan-based fishing vessel that reportedly supplied the global tuna trading company that acquired Bumble Bee Seafoods that same year. None of these fishermen worked on that vessel.

The lawsuit seeks compensation for their unpaid wages and abuse, Fryszman said. The men are also seeking systemic changes, she said. For example, they want companies like Bumble Bee to require in their contracts that the vessels in their supply chain bring in their catch rather than remain out at sea, and have medical care on board and Wi-Fi service for workers to get help.

The global fishing industry has been plagued by labor abuses for years, with workers subjected to brutal treatment often with little or no pay. Congress approved legislation providing the agency with additional authority to crack down on forced labor in 2016 after an Associated Press investigation found that seafood caught by slaves in Southeast Asia was ending up in restaurants and markets around the United States.

In 2018, Fryszman represented two Indonesian fishermen who said they were enslaved on an American fishing boat. They settled their lawsuit for an undisclosed amount against the vessel’s California-based owner seven years after escaping and receiving special U.S. visas as victims of human trafficking.