In the lawsuit, filed on March 12 in California, the plaintiffs alleged forced labour and abuse on board Chinese-owned longline vessels in Bumble Bee’s supply chain. The complaint detailed abuses such as withheld wages, physical mistreatment, long working hours, debt bondage, and threats to their families.

It is believed to be the first case of forced labour at sea brought against an American seafood company.

“Trafficking at sea happens because it’s profitable, perpetrators can avoid getting caught because the victims are isolated from law enforcement and there are so many jurisdictional hurdles to effective enforcement,” Agnieszka Fryszman, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, told This Week in Asia, adding that once onshore, fishers often lack access to legal support in other countries.

“Merely arresting the low level actors will not put a stop to forced labour.”