Report alleges widespread illegal fishing and abuse on China’s fleet

China’s fishing fleet is by far the largest in the world in terms of size and catch volume. The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), an NGO, has been tracking the fleet for years, as it becomes increasingly linked to systematic illegal fishing and human rights abuses. A new EJF report paints a grim picture: all the workers interviewed by EJF from China’s tuna fleet in the Southwest Indian Ocean reportedly experienced or witnessed human rights abuses or illegal fishing (and seafood linked to these vessels is believed to be entering supply chains of multinationals that sell in Europe and the US). Steve Trent, the EJF’s founder, said that while the Chinese government sells its investment in countries bordering the Southwest Indian Ocean as a “win-win, the clear reality is that it is doing direct harm".