Labor abuse on fishing vessels widespread, with China topping list of offenders, report says

By JOSHUA GOODMAN
Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — A new report has identified nearly 500 industrial fishing vessels where workers face hazardous, forced conditions sometimes akin to slavery. The research by the Washington, D.C.-based Financial Transparency Coalition is the most comprehensive attempt to date to identify the vessels and companies responsible for abuses at sea. A quarter of the suspected ships are flagged to China. But the owner of many of the vessels are unknown because of a lack of transparency and regulatory oversight in the fishing industry, the authors say.