Taiwan’s distant-water fishing fleet, one of the largest in the world, has been plagued by allegations of abuse, injury, and death among its migrant workers. Despite being hailed as a bastion of liberal values and human rights in Asia, Taiwan’s treatment of migrant workers in its fishing industry has raised serious concerns about its commitment to these values.
Silwanus Tangkotta, an Indonesian migrant fisherman, experienced firsthand the harsh realities of working on a Taiwanese fishing vessel. In 2024, Tangkotta’s hand was crushed by a heavy wave, and he was forced to endure excruciating pain for over a month without proper medical attention.
The captain refused to return to port, prioritizing profits over the well-being of his crew. “I did whatever I could… I took nail clippers and toothpicks to destroy the protruding bones,” Tangkotta recalled. “I thought if I didn’t pull out the bone, the infection would continue and my fingers would rub.”
Tangkotta’s ordeal is not an isolated incident. Taiwan’s distant-water fishing industry employs over 20,000 Indonesian and Filipino workers, who often face deceptive recruitment, withheld wages, physical violence, and extreme working hours. According to the US Department of Labor, Taiwan’s fishing industry has shown signs of forced labor since 2020. The agency highlighted issues such as:
- Deceptive Recruitment: Workers are often promised decent salaries but face overwork and delayed wages.
- Withheld Wages: Wage theft is a widespread problem, with workers facing significant delays in payment.
- Physical Violence: Workers have reported violent physical abuse, including beatings and torture.
- Extreme Working Hours: Workers are often forced to work long hours without adequate rest.
In response to these allegations, Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency claimed to have introduced reforms, including raising minimum wages, installing CCTV on boats, and hiring new inspectors. However, activists argue that these measures are cosmetic and fail to address the root causes of forced labor. “Even though the US has labeled Taiwan’s fishing industry since 2020, the government responded with rhetoric but very little was changed,” said Allison Lee, co-founder of the Yilan Migrant Fishermen Union.
The consequences for workers are dire. Adrian Dogdodo Basar, a former Indonesian migrant fisherman, witnessed the death of his friend aboard a Taiwanese fishing vessel in 2023. Despite pleas to return to port, the captain refused, citing high costs, and offered only expired medicine. Basar said he was punished with food deprivation and threats of salary deductions when he demanded the body be returned home immediately. “We asked him to just go to the nearest port to send the body home, but the captain denied us,” he said. “When I started protesting, I was not given any food.”
Experts and activists are calling for reform to protect the rights of migrant workers in Taiwan’s fishing industry. Requiring WiFi access for all migrant fishermen could allow them to check their pay and seek help from NGOs, even from the middle of the ocean.
Regulations preventing migrant workers from switching jobs without returning to their home country or paying new agency fees should be scrapped, as they discourage workers from reporting abuse for fear of dismissal and incurring debt. Sari Heidenreich, Greenpeace USA’s senior human rights adviser, emphasized the need for companies importing seafood from Taiwan to scrutinize their supply chains more rigorously. “American consumers are still at significant risk of consuming seafood tainted by modern slavery,” she said.