Trapped at Sea: Indonesian Fishermen Sue Bumble Bee Over Alleged Forced Labor

Muhammad Syafi’i will never forget the searing pain as hot oil splattered across his stomach, burning his skin through his clothes. He was a cook aboard a fishing vessel supplying seafood giant Bumble Bee Foods, yet when he suffered serious burns, there was no doctor to treat him, no safe place to recover – just the open sea and an expectation to keep working.

Like many poor Indonesian men, Syafi’i had hoped for a better life when he took the job in 2021, drawn by the promise of higher wages in the fishing industry. Instead, he found himself trapped in brutal conditions, working long hours under the constant threat of violence and exploitation. When he pleaded for help after his injury, he says he was denied food, water, and medical care, left to writhe in pain on a wooden bench.

Now, Syafi’i is one of four Indonesian fishermen suing Bumble Bee Foods, accusing the U.S. seafood company of knowingly profiting from forced labor and human rights abuses in its supply chain. Filed in a California federal court, the lawsuit is the first of its kind against a major American seafood brand.

Allegations of Abuse and Modern Slavery

The four plaintiffs worked on separate fishing vessels that supplied tuna to Bumble Bee, according to court documents filed on March 12. They describe a horrifying reality:

• Physical violence from captains who beat, stabbed, and lashed crew members.
• Debt bondage, with wages withheld to cover recruitment fees, leaving workers penniless.
• Months at sea without escape, thanks to a system called transshipment, where supply ships deliver fuel and collect seafood, preventing workers from ever reaching land.
• Dangerous conditions, with crew members forced to work through severe injuries, surviving on meager food rations – sometimes resorting to eating fishing bait.

The case underscores an industry-wide crisis. Fishing fleets operate in lawless waters, beyond the reach of labor protections, making it easy for abuses to go unchecked.

“Forced labor is not a mistake,” said Jessica Sparks, a researcher at Tufts University specializing in labor abuses at sea. “It’s part of how the system is designed.”

A 2022 report by the International Labour Organization estimated that 128,000 workers were trapped in forced labor on fishing vessels – likely a severe undercount.

Tracing the Tuna to U.S. Supermarkets

One of the key breakthroughs in the lawsuit is how the plaintiffs’ lawyers linked their boats to Bumble Bee’s supply chain. The company’s own “Trace My Catch” tool, designed to let consumers track where their tuna comes from, confirmed that some of its products came from the very vessels where the plaintiffs were allegedly abused.

While Bumble Bee has not publicly commented on the lawsuit, the company has previously pledged to uphold “fair and responsible working conditions”. However, in 2023, Bumble Bee quietly removed such claims from its website as part of a legal settlement with Global Labor Justice.

Bumble Bee is far from the only seafood company facing scrutiny. In 2020, U.S. officials blocked imports from a Taiwanese fishing vessel suspected of using forced labor to supply Bumble Bee. In 2022, Greenpeace linked Bumble Bee’s tuna to Taiwanese fleets with documented labor abuses.

Seeking Justice at Sea

The plaintiffs are asking for financial compensation for the harm they suffered, but they also want systemic change. The lawsuit demands that Bumble Bee:

• Ban transshipment, which keeps workers trapped at sea.
• Prohibit third-party recruiters, who often charge steep fees and withhold wages.
• Require medical care on all vessels.
• Ensure ships have WiFi, so workers can communicate with the outside world.

“Americans eat this seafood, but few realize the suffering behind it,” said Sari Heidenrich, a human rights advisor at Greenpeace, which is supporting the plaintiffs.

Bumble Bee, one of the largest canned tuna brands in the U.S., has weathered scandals before. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2019 after a price-fixing scheme and was later acquired by Taiwan’s FCF Co. for nearly $1 billion.

Yet, for the fishermen bringing in the catch, little has changed.

For Muhammad Syafi’i, Muhammad Sahrudin, Akhmad, and Angga, this lawsuit is a rare opportunity to fight back. But for thousands of other migrant fishermen still at sea, justice remains just as distant as the shore.