Human Rights Forced labour and labour abuse are a virulent threat in tuna fishing and other offshore fisheries

Translate from: MSC Tuna Report 2025 Information about tuna, global tuna fisheries, and the sustainability of the tuna supply in Germany

Vessels and their crews often spend long periods of time on the high seas, beyond the reach of regulatory authorities, often without applicable labour protection laws and with limited access to communication technology. There are repeated reports of cases of forced labour, of fishermen who are recruited with seemingly legitimate job offers and then cannot leave because they are physically detained, because their wages are not paid, or because they or their families are threatened with violence.

Labour Law Requirements of the MSC Program

The MSC supports global efforts to eliminate forced and child labour in the fishing industry and the fish and seafood supply chains. Fisheries and fish processing companies that have been prosecuted for forced labour in the past are excluded from the MSC assessment process. Certified fisheries are required to disclose their regulations and measures to prevent forced and child labour and make them accessible to governments, NGOs, retailers, and consumers on the MSC website. At the same time, MSC-certified fisheries are among the best-controlled in the world, which, while not preventing human rights violations, can minimize them. For example, MSC-certified tuna fisheries often have an independent fishery observer on board every single fishing trip. This not only minimizes the risk of environmental violations, but also the danger of human rights violations. MSC-certified fish processing companies, in turn, are required to undergo labour audits by internationally recognized social standard-setters.

Papua New Guinea – FIA PNG Tuna Fishery - More fairness at sea

The MSC-certified FIA PNG tuna fishery sets standards in the fight against forced labour and human rights violations. Instead of turning a blind eye, it promotes control and transparency. Crew training is mandatory, as are social audits conducted several times a year. Already, 34 fishing vessels of the fleet are certified according to international social standards, and this figure is expected to rise to 50 fishing vessels by the end of 2025 (1) . As with most MSC-certified tuna fisheries, every single fishing trip is accompanied by an independent observer on board. But that's not all. PNG is the first tuna fishery in the world to submit its fishing activities in real time to Global Fishing Watch – an important step towards transparency, also in the fight against forced labour. This also includes ensuring the crew has access to the outside world:

Since 2023, the fishery has been taking the next step: As one of the first in the world, it is working on the introduction of Social Accountability Key Data Elements, centrally stored information that makes minimum social standards verifiable, e.g., for authorities, certifiers, customers, or civil society.

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(1) Update from the FIA PNG office based on the public FISH certificate and the fishing vessels scope extension request 2025.

FIA PNG MSC office statement

The MSC tuna annual report 2025 from Germany has dedicated a page to share the importance of the human and labour rights onboard the tuna fishing vessels and Crew decent working and living conditions onboard, taking FIA PNG Social Responsibility and Human Rights onboard as a point of reference for good practices in this book 2025.

In 2023, FIA PNG MSC Tuna fishery was the first tuna fishery to obtain the F.I.S.H standard certification for Crew Welfare after a long and robust assessment onboard process that included Crew interviews, documentation review and fishing vessels’ inspection.

FIA PNG is raising as a  front-liner in the Tuna Sector and as a proven model to be followed when it comes to human and labour rights implementation, monitoring, and reporting.

To view the original content, click the link below: https://www.msc.org/docs/default-source/de-files/studien-berichte/thunfischbericht-pressetexte/msc-thunfischbericht-2025.pdf