Environmental Justice Foundation
We believe environmental security is a human right.
🚨 Abuse is not the exception - it is the norm on board the global squid fleet.
Over the last five years, we have interviewed more than 430 fishers who had worked across 249 squid vessels in the Northwest Indian Ocean, the Southeast Pacific, and the Southwest Atlantic.
Testimony after testimony, from fishery to fishery, the fishers revealed a system of injustice at sea. They reported horrific conditions, including daily violence, debt bo***ge, and withheld or never-paid wages.
At least 25 deaths were confirmed, every one of them on a Chinese-flagged vessel.
These unregulated fisheries have left crew exposed to serious human rights abuses while the perpetrators are not held accountable. Transparency and the end to ineffective regulation are the key to putting a stop to this.
Tomorrow, the Our Ocean Conference begins in Mombasa, Kenya - a moment for world leaders to work together to usher in a more ethical, sustainable future for the ocean. EJF staff will be on the ground, working to push for greater fisheries transparency to end the scourge of illegal fishing and human rights abuses at sea.
Learn more about this investigation on our landing page in the comments ⬇️
09/06/2026
🌊 “You’ve got a situation where billions of dollars now are being lost to those local economies, most of which are very poor. They are targeting species that are the bedrock, not just of livelihoods and jobs, but of food security.”
Steve Trent, EJF CEO and Founder, was interviewed by BBC's Ed Butler about illegal fishing in Sierra Leone.
For a country that gets 60% of its protein from fish, illegal fishing is one of the greatest threats to the health, livelihoods and well-being of its citizens.
There is strong evidence that illegal fishing, largely driven by the Chinese distant-water fleet, is pushing fish populations towards collapse. The same lack of transparency that has enabled illegal fishing has also allowed abuses against crew on board these vessels to continue with impunity.
Countries that import products from this fleet and region, including the EU and UK, must prevent these imports from reaching consumers’ plates and push China to take action against illegal fishing and human rights abuses.
Yesterday was - we encourage you to take a moment to listen to this episode to learn more about the threats facing West Africa’s coasts.
28/05/2026
🌊 Driftnets were banned for a good reason - governments must put an end to the deadly practice, says Steve Trent, EJF CEO and Founder in SeafoodSource.
Our new investigative film, “Walls of death: illegal driftnetting in the Mediterranean”, documents the reality of the widespread use of illegal driftnets in the Alboran Sea.
These near-invisible nets stretch for miles, indiscriminately entangling and suffocating marine animals. They’ve been banned across the Mediterranean, yet our investigation observed the active and open use of driftnets in the region.
There is a high risk that swordfish caught with these nets are making their way into EU supply chains, exposing consumers to products caught with a trail of environmental destruction.
Stronger enforcement, greater transparency measures, and a just transition for fishing communities are key to protecting this shared sea.
“Healthy seas and prosperous fishing communities are not competing priorities”, says Steve Trent, EJF CEO and Founder.
Read the full article: https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/ejf-walls-of-death-investigation-alleges-extensive-illegal-driftnet-fishing-in-mediterranean-swordfish-trade
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