Bondage at Sea

Our oceans are running out of fish. As stocks disappear, ships are having to travel farther offshore to fulfill their quotas and margins for profit have become razor thin. As a result, captains increasingly turn to trafficked, debt-bonded and forced labor to make ends meet.

A global scourge, sea slavery is something most people do not realize exists. In this episode, Ian Urbina takes viewers onboard roach and rat-infested ships on the South China Sea to explore how overfishing has given rise to trans-shipment, fish-laundering, and a prevalence of abuse that companies and governments have a tough time tracking or countering.

About the Series