Indonesian fishermen Sue Bumble Bee and say that the canned tuna giant knew about his supply chain

By Julie Watson

San Diego (AP) – Lawyers representing four Indonesian fishermen who say they were beaten and trapped in vessels that were part of the global supply chain that provided tuna to the seafood of bees filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the canned seafood giant.

It is believed that it is the first case of forced labor in the sea presented against a US Seafood Company, said the male lawyer, Agnieszka Fryszman.

American companies that benefit from forced labor and undermine other companies must be responsible, Fryszman said.

“What you see is really devastating,” he said.

The lawsuit accuses the company based in San Diego to violate the law of protection of traffic victims. The law allows foreigners who suffered from human trafficking to demand from US companies who knew or should have known that they were benefiting from forced labor.

Bumble Bee said in an email to Associated Press that he does not comment on pending litigation.

The fishermen are all of villages in Indonesia and worked for long -term ships owned by Chinese companies that Bumble Bee obtained their Albacore tuna, according to the demand. They say they were regularly beaten by their captains.

A fisherman named Akhmad, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, said he was beaten by a metal hook and forced to work even after being injured at work by a fish load that opened their legs to the bone. Another fisherman, Syafi’i, said he did not receive medical attention for severe burns and was ordered to return to work to pay to eat. All men said they asked to go home and even tried to go on the strike on board, according to the demand.

The ships remained in the sea while the supply ships provided provisions and collected the capture. The men were tied to the debt of food invoices and other rates and the threat of fines if they renounced, Fryszman said.

Bumble Bee had been warned of inhuman conditions in her supply chain over the years, Fryszman said. In 2020, accounts of abusive conditions and forced labor caused the US. From a Taiwan -based fishing ship that, according to the reports, provided the global tuna trade company that Bumble Bee Seafoods acquired that same year. None of these fishermen worked in that container.

The demand seeks compensation for its unpaid wages and abuses, said Fryszman. Men also look for systemic changes, he said. For example, they want companies such as Bumble Bee to require in their contracts that the ships of their supply chain bring their capture instead of staying in the sea, and have medical attention on board and Wi-Fi service so that workers get help.

The global fishing industry has been full of labor abuses for years. The legislation approved the Congress that provides the United States Government for additional authorities to take energetic measures against forced labor in 2016 after a Associated Press research He discovered that seafood captured by slaves in Southeast Asia were ending in restaurants and markets in the United States.

In 2018, Fryszman represented two Indonesian fishermen who said they were enslaved on an American fishing boat. Their lawsuit for an unleashed amount against the boat Owner with headquarters in California Seven years after escaping and receiving special visas from the United States as victims of human trafficking.

Originally published: March 12, 2025 at 1:11 PM PDT