Govind Tekale
Four Indonesian fishermen have sued Bumble Bee Foods, alleging forced labor and human trafficking in the company’s tuna supply chain. The lawsuit was filed in San Diego, with a press release about the case issued on March 12, 2025. This case marks what experts believe is the first case of its kind against the U.S. seafood industry under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA).
The fishers describe harrowing conditions: physical violence, untreated injuries, debt bondage, and being trapped at sea against their will. One plaintiff, Akhmad, recounts a severe leg injury that exposed bone. “When we were injured, we did not receive any medical treatment. One time, the rope holding the weighing gear broke and dropped a load of fish on me, cutting my leg open from thigh to shin. I was ordered to keep working. I thought there was water filling my boot, but I realized it was my own blood. I could see the bone in my leg. I was left to clean and bandage my leg myself, without sterile medical supplies, and I kept bleeding for two weeks. It still hurts and probably always will.”
The case targets Bumble Bee, which accounts for approximately 25% of the U.S. canned tuna market with annual revenue of $1 billion. Its owner, Taiwanese tuna trader Fong Chun Formosa (FCF), is among the world’s top three tuna traders.
Legal Framework
The TVPRA allows victims to sue U.S. companies that knowingly profit from forced labor in their supply chains. Cohen Milstein partner Agnieszka Fryszman explained: “These men were looking for good jobs to provide for their families. Instead, they allege they were trapped – beaten with metal hooks, not getting enough food, working around the clock – and facing financial penalties if they tried to leave.”
The complaint alleges Bumble Bee “knew or should have known” about these conditions and “knowingly benefited” from them.
Industry-Wide Problem
Labor abuses extend beyond this case. The International Labour Organisation estimated in 2022 that at least 128,000 fishers globally were victims of forced labor. Their report linked forced labor to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which worsens ocean depletion.
This creates a vicious cycle: Dwindling fish stocks force vessels farther out to sea for longer periods, creating isolation that enables abuse. Companies then use forced labor to cut costs on otherwise unprofitable operations.
While migrant fishers were reportedly promised $400-600 monthly salaries, many received heavily reduced pay or nothing at all.
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Calls for Reform
The plaintiffs seek compensation and systemic changes to protect workers. Greenpeace USA’s Senior Human Rights Advisor Sari Heidenreich said the case exposes “a broken system where thousands of other workers in the industrial fishing sector are trapped in conditions of human trafficking and forced labor in one of the most isolated workplaces on the planet.”
Greenpeace advocates reforms including:
- Free, secure WiFi on fishing vessels
- Limiting time at sea to three months
- 100% human or electronic observer coverage
- Worker unionization rights
- Accessible grievance mechanisms
“The time to put an end to these atrocities is now,” said Arifsyah Nasution of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
Bumble Bee has previously been linked to human rights and environmental abuses in reports by Greenpeace, the Environmental Justice Foundation, and Shark Guardian. The company has not commented on the current litigation.
