Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

hatrack

(59,439 posts)
Mon May 18, 2020, 09:07 AM May 2020

Chinese Fishing Fleets Not Only Dump Bodies Of Indonesian Workers At Sea, They Fin Sharks As Well

JAKARTA — Conservationists are calling for an investigation into alleged illegal fishing by a Chinese tuna company that kept Indonesian seamen as virtual slaves, leading to the deaths of four of them. China’s Dalian Ocean Fishing Co. Ltd. has been under scrutiny after reports in early May linked four of its high-seas boats — Long Xing 629, Long Xing 802, Long Xing 605 and Tian Yu 08 — to the human rights abuses of its Indonesian crew members. Four Indonesians died between December 2019 and April 2020 due to the hazardous working conditions on board the boats. The bodies of three of them were dumped overboard for fear of infection, sparking a diplomatic outcry from Jakarta.

Migrant boat crews from Southeast Asia are seen as a source of cheap labor, making up a large proportion of Asia’s distant-water fleets. But deadly conditions await the workers aboard the vessels, such as overwork, having their wages withheld, being forced into debt bondage, and experiencing physical and sexual violence.

EDIT

According to reports, the Long Xing 629 left Chinese shores on Feb. 15, 2019, and operated in the waters off Samoa for at least 13 months straight without docking. Observers say long periods out at sea without bringing catch to shore is often indicative of transshipment, the practice of transferring the catch to other vessels and taking on fuel and supplies. While not illegal in itself, transshipment is common in IUU fishing.

In a report, the Environmental Justice Foundation said the Indonesian crew members from the Long Xing 629 provided visual evidence that threatened shark species were caught and finned at a rate of up to 20 per day. By the time the crew members had left the vessel, it had reportedly collected 16 boxes full of shark fins, each weighing 45 kilograms (100 pounds). The report added that photographs provided by the crew members indicated the fins may have come from critically endangered species such as hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna spp.) and oceanic whitetips (Carcharhinus longimanus). Shark finning is prohibited across the jurisdiction in which the four Dalian vessels are registered.

EDIT

https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/chinese-boat-that-dumped-indonesian-crews-at-sea-was-also-shark-finning-reports/

3 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Chinese Fishing Fleets Not Only Dump Bodies Of Indonesian Workers At Sea, They Fin Sharks As Well (Original Post) hatrack May 2020 OP
So maddening. Ferrets are Cool May 2020 #1
Thanks for posting this. Mike 03 May 2020 #2
So sickening. cayugafalls May 2020 #3

Mike 03

(16,616 posts)
2. Thanks for posting this.
Mon May 18, 2020, 09:19 AM
May 2020

If anyone wants to read a great book that deals comprehensively with these issues, "The Outlaw Ocean" by Ian Urbina is spellbinding and horrifying.

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Environment & Energy»Chinese Fishing Fleets No...