Child labour and illegal practices are rife in the Vietnamese fishing industry according to an investigation by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).
Fish populations in Vietnam’s waters are so low boats are forced to fish illegally elsewhere to make a living, Vietnamese captains and crew told the EJF, whilst children as young as 11 are being put to work in dirty and unsafe conditions on board long-distance fishing vessels.
Vietnam’s fast growing fishing fleet has led to overfishing which is forcing vessels beyond Vietnam’s waters. The EJF surveyed crew members from Vietnamese fishing vessels detained whilst fishing illegally in Thai waters and captains spoke of how they were encouraged by owners to fish in neighbouring countries’ waters. This illegal fishing is being propped up by child labour. EJF found that seven of the 41 vessels studied had a child on board, some as young as 11.
Lack of governance
New laws to prevent illegal fishing were put in place by the Vietnamese government in 2018 but EJF can find little evidence that the reforms are being enforced. Vessels continue to lack appropriate markings and flags and documentation is missing. Vessel inspections are little more than a cursory crew count and catches are not verified meaning seafood caught by slaves and children could be on supermarket shelves in the EU and US.
EJF’s executive director, Steve Trent, said that Vietnam’s progress in combatting illegal fishing had been painstakingly slow. “Nationwide vessel checks, transparency measures and improved inspection regimes are urgently needed,” he said.
