Global Reverberations from the Investigation: There has been a broad impact in the two weeks since the investigation was published.
See More: The Outlaw Ocean Project.
Summary of Original Investigation: 17th Oct 2023: Crimes Behind Global Seafood Supply Chains – Ian Urbina’s Forced Labour Investigations Into Chinese Seafood Supply Chains.
Global Reverberations from the Investigation: What are the latest developments?
- Two pieces of legislation were passed at the EU Parliament where lawmakers cited the reporting.
- A White-House/Congressional hearing was called to review the investigation’s findings and where the Outlaw Ocean Project will testify.
- A CEO resigned.
- A half dozen major seafood companies severed ties with factories that the investigation had connected to forced labor.
- A lively discussion was sparked on the Op Ed pages of major newspapers globally.
Ian Urbina will begin tracking this impact on on their website ( bit.ly/toopimpact ) and in a twitter thread ( bit.ly/impactthread ) for anyone who wants to follow along.
Some of these developments with sources –
Two U.S. lawmakers wrote the Customs and Border Patrol agency, citing the investigation, insisting it use the Tariff Act and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act to stop seafood from China entering the US. The letter also demanded that the agency provide documents detailing the steps they have taken to stop import of such seafood.
Sources: U.S. Congress, Undercurrent News
Two U.S. lawmakers wrote the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, citing the investigation, insisting the Seafood Import Monitoring Program is expanded to all imported seafood to protect U.S. consumers from seafood tied to illegal fishing and abusive labor practices.
Sources: U.S. Congress, Undercurrent News
Pierre Karleskind, Caroline Roose, Barry Andrews, and Izaskun Bilbao, a group of European lawmakers, cited the investigation as they passed a resolution urging China to be more transparent about its fishing fleet, especially on illegal fishing and human rights issues.
Source: European Parliament
Barry Andrews, an Irish lawmaker, said that legislation moving through the European Parliament is necessary to stop illegal fishing and human rights abuses in the seafood industry, as highlighted in our investigation. This legislation was approved on Oct. 17th.
Source: European Parliament
Samira Rafaela, a Netherlands lawmaker, cited our investigation to support a draft regulation on forced labor that was approved October 16, 2023.
Source: European Parliament
Seafood Connection, a Dutch subsidiary of the world‘s largest seafood company, Maruha Nichiro, stopped working with two of its Chinese seafood suppliers in response to the investigation.
Source: RTL Nieuws
See more: 20th Oct 2023: Migrant workers toil in perilous heat to prepare for COP28 climate talks in UAE.
