Caught in a Vicious Cycle : Connecting Forced Labour and Environmental Exploitation Through a Case Study of Asia–Pacific

Several studies have documented the increasing use of forced/trafficked labour on long-haul fishing vessels, while others have documented illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices. Recent observations document the existence of both practices occurring together on the same vessel or within the same fishing fleet, in what is characterised as 'convergence crime'. Building on these observations, this paper examines the precise interconnections between forced labour of fishers and IUU fishing on distant waters fishing vessels in the Asia–Pacific. It argues that identifying the dynamics of these connections necessitates a more detailed examination of both practices at the scale of individual fishing vessels and crew. Such an examination allows the reasons trafficked fishers engage in IUU fishing practices to be better understood. A twofold characterisation of exploitation involving the two interlinked aspects of 'labour' and 'situation' frames the analysis. The paper draws on two contrasting case studies to make its argument: first, semi-structured interviews with 50 Cambodian and Filipino migrant fishers deployed on Taiwanese fishing vessels, and second, 32 semi-structured interviews with Indonesian fishers on South Korean vessels fishing in New Zealand's waters as well as court documents pertaining to the engagement of the South Korean officers in IUU fishing practices. A key contribution of the paper is to understand the unwitting role forced labourers can play in exacerbating degradation in marine environments. Full paper available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104825