· 2 min read
illuminem summarises for you the essential story of the day. Read the full piece on The Washington Post or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: A new report by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) reveals extensive labour and environmental abuses in China’s squid-fishing operations off the coast of South America
• Crew members from Southeast Asia report physical abuse, identity document confiscation, withheld wages, and even deaths aboard Chinese vessels
• China is now the world’s largest squid-fishing nation, accounting for about one-third of the global squid catch; much of the fishing is done just outside Argentina’s exclusive economic zone, where oversight is weak
🔭 The context: EJF’s investigation involved interviews with over 160 Indonesian and Filipino crew, analysis of vessel movements, and cooperation with Argentine coast guard efforts
• Conditions reported include working more than 14 hours per day, violence (hitting, strangulation), and months-long sea voyages with little opportunity to escape dangerous situations
• Five crew member deaths on four Chinese vessels were reported in the southwest Atlantic from health issues and uncertain causes
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Overfishing of shortfin squid threatens marine ecosystems and food chains in regions where supervision is limited
• Environmental damage includes killing seals and shark finning, with sharks often discarded after being mutilated
• The supply chain reaches U.S. and European markets — that calamari on your plate could be linked to these abuses
⏭️ What’s next: EJF urges tighter scrutiny and regulation on squid imports into the U.S. and Europe to prevent “high-risk squid” from entering consumer markets
• Calls for accountability for crew deaths, transparency of vessel ownership and operations, and stronger international oversight of distant-water fishing
💬 One quote: “The litany of human rights abuses is absolutely shocking… they are being abused, working in terrible conditions, and then having their hard-earned and often very meager salary being taken away from them.” – Dominic Thomson, EJF director
📈 One stat: Nearly two-thirds of Chinese squid vessels identified by EJF (29 vessels) were associated with either fatal crew deaths or physical violence
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