Taiwan seafood industry labor problems highlighted by BBC

The BBC has aired a report investigating the much-publicized video of the apparent shooting of mariners at sea in the Indian Ocean, ascribing possible blame for the crime to the crew of a Taiwanese fishing vessel.

The video was also the subject of a New York Times article by Ian Urbina, whose series “The Outlaw Ocean” investigated the lack of oversight of high-seas fishing in international waters. 

The BBC report, which aired Tuesday, 6 September (beginning at 43:40 into the broadcast), highlights the shooting as just one example of the abuse of foreign nationals working as fishermen in Taiwan’s large fishing fleet, which it reported is commonplace and often goes unpunished.

“[The shooting] is just one of many cases revealing a culture of abuse on Taiwan’s fishing vessels, including horrendous working conditions, forced labor and deaths at sea,” BBC correspondent Cindy Sui reported, citing reports from Greenpeace and a local labor rights group.

Taiwan’s fishing industry employs an estimated 160,000 migrant workers, mostly from Southeast Asia, according to the BBC report.

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