Illegal activity on Taiwanese vessel highlighted

In May, the 43m long fishing boat was held in South Africa after becoming the first vessel in the world to be detained for violating the International Labour Organization’s (ILO’s) Work in Fishing Convention C188. However, EJF stated after Taiwan carried out an investigation in South Africa, where the boat was held, it announced there were no human rights issues only repairs needed, while allowing it to go free without taking any action.

South African officials cited a lack of work agreements and crew list, rotten lifebuoys, missing anchors and generally poor health and safety conditions, but “the situation is much graver than first thought”, the EJF investigation has revealed.

Major abuse

EJF said it tracked down crew members sent back to their home countries, who “told EJF of beatings from the captain, 22-hour working days and serious injuries to crew working in dangerous conditions. They also reported that the vessel had illegally finned sharks, including endangered hammerheads.”

Alongside the beatings, the crew said medical supplies were lacking and safety equipment was insufficient or broken. The men reported several serious injuries on the vessel.

Salaries were below the Taiwanese minimum wage and there were further problems with the standards of the contracts and insurance the men received.

The crew were able to provide photographic evidence of hammerhead sharks – several species of which are endangered – and other vulnerable shark species being caught as well as photographic evidence that sharks were finned, which is against Taiwanese law.

A Taiwanese Fisheries Agency official visited the ship but made errors including issued questionnaires to crew in the presence of the captain which made the crew feel unsafe in reporting the truth, said EJF. In addition, no interpreter was present.

Taiwan is currently subject to a formal warning from the European Union – known as a 'yellow card' – for not combatting illegal fishing.