Davis Political Review: Slavery in Thailand's Fishing Industry

Seafood is one of the largest traded commodities in the world. The seafood industry employs over 260 million workers globally, and 3 billion people rely on seafood as their primary source of protein. Thailand is the world’s fourth-largest seafood processing industry. Thailand's fishing industry is estimated to bring 7 billion-dollars in revenue annually. It has deep political and economic roots as it is a large supplier to the European Union and the United States. Unsustainable fishing has degraded Thailand's fisheries to the point that many vessel operators slash labor costs through trafficked slave labor in its fishing sector. The Thai government estimates 300,000 people work in its fishing industry, 90 percent of whom are undocumented immigrants vulnerable to trafficking and enslavement. Thailand's fishing vessels are integral to the global consumption of seafood as these fleets provide fish for major corporations like Walmart, Carrefour, Costco, and Tesco.