Taiwan’s Distant‑Water Fishing Industry Under Scrutiny for Migrant Worker Abuse
Reports of injuries, withheld wages and forced labour prompt international and legal challenges
An Indonesian migrant fisherman reported severe finger injuries after a heavy door hit his hand aboard a Taiwanese fishing vessel in the Pacific, triggering months of self‑treatment before being hospitalised in Taiwan.
According to his account, the vessel captain refused to return to port citing low catch volume, and the worker later lost two fingers and was dismissed without compensation.
Taiwan operates the world’s second‑largest distant‑water fishing fleet, employing more than twenty‑thousand Indonesian and Filipino migrant workers supplying global markets including the US and EU.
Since 2020, the US Department of Labor has listed the sector for signs of forced labour, citing deceptive recruitment practices, withheld pay, physical abuse and excessive working hours.
Non‑profit investigations, including a Greenpeace report, documented numerous cases of forced labour and illegal fishing across Taiwanese vessels.
A survey of sixty‑two ships found 24 per cent reported physical abuse and 92 per cent experienced withheld wages.
In one incident, crew members were beaten, confined to freezers and shocked with stun guns.
Legal actions have followed.
In April 2022, nine Taiwanese crew members were indicted over alleged abuse—including beatings and twenty‑hour workdays—of migrant fishermen on a vessel in the Pacific.
In March 2025, four Indonesian fishermen filed a lawsuit in the US alleging forced labour and human trafficking on vessels supplying tuna to a US seafood firm.
The complaint describes violence, unpaid wages and medical neglect, and names the company under the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
Advocates highlight regulatory gaps: distant‑water fishermen are exempt from Taiwan’s Labour Standards Act and often endure recruitment-related debts.
Cases include fishermen paying agency fees exceeding two thousand US dollars and being trapped at sea without Wi‑Fi or external contact.
In response, Taiwanese authorities say they implemented reforms since 2022, including higher minimum wages, boat‑based CCTV and increased inspections.
However, campaigners argue these measures have yet to address systemic abuses.
The continuing allegations have drawn international attention to labour practices on fishing vessels supplying global markets.
According to his account, the vessel captain refused to return to port citing low catch volume, and the worker later lost two fingers and was dismissed without compensation.
Taiwan operates the world’s second‑largest distant‑water fishing fleet, employing more than twenty‑thousand Indonesian and Filipino migrant workers supplying global markets including the US and EU.
Since 2020, the US Department of Labor has listed the sector for signs of forced labour, citing deceptive recruitment practices, withheld pay, physical abuse and excessive working hours.
Non‑profit investigations, including a Greenpeace report, documented numerous cases of forced labour and illegal fishing across Taiwanese vessels.
A survey of sixty‑two ships found 24 per cent reported physical abuse and 92 per cent experienced withheld wages.
In one incident, crew members were beaten, confined to freezers and shocked with stun guns.
Legal actions have followed.
In April 2022, nine Taiwanese crew members were indicted over alleged abuse—including beatings and twenty‑hour workdays—of migrant fishermen on a vessel in the Pacific.
In March 2025, four Indonesian fishermen filed a lawsuit in the US alleging forced labour and human trafficking on vessels supplying tuna to a US seafood firm.
The complaint describes violence, unpaid wages and medical neglect, and names the company under the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
Advocates highlight regulatory gaps: distant‑water fishermen are exempt from Taiwan’s Labour Standards Act and often endure recruitment-related debts.
Cases include fishermen paying agency fees exceeding two thousand US dollars and being trapped at sea without Wi‑Fi or external contact.
In response, Taiwanese authorities say they implemented reforms since 2022, including higher minimum wages, boat‑based CCTV and increased inspections.
However, campaigners argue these measures have yet to address systemic abuses.
The continuing allegations have drawn international attention to labour practices on fishing vessels supplying global markets.
