Workers’ rights groups on July 17 called on the Ministry of Labor to protect migrant fishers, days after CNN reported what it described as a “pattern of abuse” in Taiwan’s distant-water fishing industry.
The report detailed the harrowing account of Indonesian migrant fisher Silwanus Tangkotta, who crushed his fingers in a metal door last year while aboard a Taiwanese fishing vessel. The captain reportedly refused to return to port for medical treatment, as they “hadn’t caught enough fish to justify the trip.” Tangkotta lost two fingers, and was fired and denied compensation upon returning to land.
Another former migrant fisher, Adrian Dogdodo Basar, recalled witnessing the death of his close friend aboard a fishing vessel in 2023 after he fell ill and was, like Tangkotta, denied adequate medical treatment. Basar was deprived of food and threatened with salary deductions for asking the captain to travel to the nearest port to return his friend’s body.
These reports are just a few among many highlighting the widespread exploitation of migrant fishers in the industry. Fishers are often forced to work long hours with little rest for low pay, enduring verbal abuse and severe food shortages. Some even resort to eating bait when rations are low.
Despite spending up to 10 months at sea, most Taiwanese fishing vessels lack Internet access, making it nearly impossible for migrant fishers to file complaints through the Fisheries Agency’s designated channels. It also prevents fishers — many of whom are breadwinners — from confirming with loved ones whether they have been paid, as seen in the case of 10 Indonesian migrant fishers working on the vessel You Fu (銪富號) who were owed 15 months of wages in 2023.
As of June last year, only 98 out of more than 1,000 Taiwanese distant-water fishing vessels — fewer than 10 percent — had Wi-Fi.
Current regulations state that migrant fishers working on ships outside of Taiwan’s territorial waters are exempt from protections under the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), meaning they lack guaranteed limits on working hours and overtime, compensation, rest days, holidays and occupational accident insurance benefits. Civic groups such as the Taiwan Association for Human Rights and the Coalition for Human Rights for Migrant Fishers have long urged systemic reforms — with little success.
The government in 2022 approved a three-year Action Plan for Fisheries and Human Rights, pledging to improve the monitoring and management of living and working conditions on fishing vessels. Months later, a Fisheries Agency delegation traveled to the US to showcase Taiwan’s progress in a push for the removal of Taiwanese seafood products from the US List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor. The delegation highlighted measures to raise the minimum monthly wage and insurance compensation for migrant fishers, as well as amending the minimum daily rest hours to comply with the ILO C188 Convention — an international treaty to ensure decent working conditions for fishers.
While such progress looks good on paper, accounts of mistreatment and abuse continue to surface. An assessment by civic groups last year found that Taiwan was still performing poorly in improving living conditions, management and the monitoring of shipowners. Last year also marked the third consecutive time Taiwanese seafood was included on the US’ list of foods produced by forced labor.
Taiwan rightly prides itself for upholding democratic values and human rights, but just responding to instances of human rights abuses is not enough.
Migrant fishers — who sustain a nearly US$2 billion export industry — have lacked a voice for too long, while their advocates’ calls for reform have gone unanswered. Concrete legislative action is not only morally necessary, but essential to protecting the industry’s future and preserving Taiwan’s international reputation.
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