Indonesian fishermen sue Bumble Bee and say the canned tuna giant knew
of abuse in its supply chain
[March 13, 2025] By
JULIE WATSON
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Lawyers representing four Indonesian fishermen who say
they were beaten and trapped on vessels that were part of the global
supply chain that provided tuna to Bumble Bee Seafoods filed a lawsuit
Wednesday against the canned seafood giant.
It is believed to be the first such case of forced labor at sea brought
against a U.S. seafood company, the men’s lawyer, Agnieszka Fryszman,
said.
U.S. companies that benefit from forced labor and undercut other
businesses need to be held accountable, Fryszman said.
“What you see is really devastating,” she said.
The lawsuit accuses the company headquartered in San Diego of violating
the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. The law allows foreigners who
suffered from human trafficking to sue U.S. businesses that knew or
should have known that they were profiting from forced labor.
Bumble Bee said in an email to The Associated Press that it does not
comment on pending litigation.
The fisherman are all from villages in Indonesia and worked for longline
vessels owned by Chinese companies from which Bumble Bee sourced its
albacore tuna, according to the lawsuit. They say they were beaten
regularly by their captains.
One fisherman named Akhmad, who like many Indonesians uses only one
name, said he was hit by a metal hook and forced to work even after
being injured on the job by a load of fish that gashed open his leg to
the bone. Another fisherman, Syafi’i, said he received no medical care
for severe burns and was ordered to return to work to pay to eat. All
the men said they asked to go home and even tried to go on strike on
board, according to the lawsuit.
The boats stayed out at sea while supply ships provided provisions and
collected the catch. The men were strapped with debt from food bills and
other fees and the threat of fines if they quit, Fryszman said.
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This Oct. 15, 2012 file photo shows the front of the Bumble Bee tuna
processing plant in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Nick Ut,
file)
 Bumble Bee had been warned of
inhumane conditions in its supply chain over the years, Fryszman
said. In 2020, accounts of abusive conditions and forced labor
prompted the U.S. to halt imports from a Taiwan-based fishing vessel
that reportedly supplied the global tuna trading company that
acquired Bumble Bee Seafoods that same year. None of these fishermen
worked on that vessel.
The lawsuit seeks compensation for their unpaid wages and abuse,
Fryszman said. The men are also seeking systemic changes, she said.
For example, they want companies like Bumble Bee to require in their
contracts that the vessels in their supply chain bring in their
catch rather than remain out at sea, and have medical care on board
and Wi-Fi service for workers to get help.
The global fishing industry has been plagued by labor abuses for
years. Congress approved legislation providing the U.S. government
with additional authority to crack down on forced labor in 2016
after an Associated Press investigation found that seafood caught by
slaves in Southeast Asia was ending up in restaurants and markets
around the United States.
In 2018, Fryszman represented two Indonesian fishermen who said they
were enslaved on an American fishing boat. They settled their
lawsuit for an undisclosed amount against the vessel’s
California-based owner seven years after escaping and receiving
special U.S. visas as victims of human trafficking.
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