The waters surrounding Thailand are among the most barren, overfished regions on the planet. With plundered marine stocks, vessels have begun to stay at sea longer and travel further from Thai shores, often fishing illegally in other territories. Facing a labor shortage, operators have turned to human trafficking networks and forced, bonded, and slave labour to crew their ships. Once at sea, fishermen can often go months, or even years, without setting foot on land. Although the extent of this human rights crisis isn’t entirely known, the UN reports that seven out of ten fishermen in Thailand show indicators of forced labor. 

On this week’s episode, investigative reporter and producer Shannon Service joins us to discuss the cycle of abuse within the Thai fishing trade alongside the larger systemic issues that drive such exploitation. Shannon shares reflections from the making of her film, Ghost Fleet, which exposes the dark side of illegal and unregulated fishing through the harrowing testimony of survivors. The documentary also traces the journey of Patima Tungpuchayakul, a labor activist and co-founder of the Labour Protection Network, while she and her team travel to Indonesia to rescue fishermen who have escaped these floating prisons. 

An investigative reporter and producer, Shannon Service has done work for the BBC, PBS, National Public Radio, The Guardian of London, Slate and Newsweek among others. She has reported from Iraq, Israel, Palestine and Croatia on everything from the ravages of war to the intimacies of heartbreak. She co-produced a series for Morning Edition about slavery on Thai fishing boats the documentary and Virtual Reality films she directed on the same subject, Ghost Fleet, went to Telluride, Sundance, Berlin and Toronto international film festivals. She has won several awards including an Edward R. Murrow award, a National Press Photographers Association award, a Best New Director award and a Knight Award for Best Narrative Science Journalism.

Rather than a few criminal actors or “bad” companies, we come to recognize overfishing and labor exploitation as a pattern of greater imbalance — of our global seafood supply chains and the insatiable appetite of western markets. While sharing stories from the frontlines, Shannon also touches on the topics of maritime law, the artificially low price of fish, how industrial agriculture and the pet food industry connect to this crisis, and what we can do as consumers when it comes to buying and eating fish. Read below to learn how you can support the protection of our abundant ocean ecosystems and take action to end slavery at sea.

♫ Music by 40 Million Feet

Take Action & Learn More

Please consider making a donation to Patima Tungpuchayakul’s organization, Labor Protection Network, as they work on the ground to prevent trafficking and provide services such as healthcare, trauma services, shelter and legal support to those rescued. 

Visit the Ghost Fleet website to watch the film and sign up for key campaign updates as the production team seeks to bring transparency & justice to the seafood supply chain. 

As consumers, we have an important role to play in demanding ethical and sustainable practices from seafood suppliers whenever possible. (From Ghost Fleet’s website) Next time you purchase seafood, consider asking: Where did this fish come from and how was it caught?Are there local seafood options?Does this company have human labor rights standards in place?Is this seafood Fair Trade USA certified?

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