Correspondence
Email sent to Alejandro Martínez, Marketing and Communications Manager at Inlet Seafish, via the company's contact address.
The email said: "I’m writing to you in light of our latest investigation, which concerns China’s seafood industry, and a link we’ve discovered between companies engaged in abuses and your supply chain.
Inlet Seafish’s ‘Seawork tubo de pota’ product is supplied by a Chinese seafood processor called Shandong Shuangdu, a Chishan Group company. The Chishan Group has received multiple groups of workers from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China under the state-imposed labor transfer program, including as recently as 2023. The United Nations, human rights organizations and academic experts agree that since 2018, the Chinese government has systematically subjected Xinjiang’s predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities to forced labor across the country via state-sanctioned employment schemes which use coercive methods in worker enrollment.
Our investigation has also uncovered Chishan Group connections to ships engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Fishing vessels owned by the group have been observed fishing in North Korean waters in contravention of UN sanctions and fishing illegally in Indonesian waters. The group also owns at least two reefer vessels which have transshipped with dozens of fishing ships tied to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing as well as human rights abuses.
Does Inlet Seafish have any comment or statement to make in light of the above information? Please respond to this email by close of business May 16, 2023."
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed Eino Brand, Managing Director at Inlet Seafish. The email said: "We’re writing to you in light of our latest investigation, which concerns China’s seafood industry, and a link we’ve discovered between a company engaged in abuses and your supply chain.
According to trade records, Inlet Seafish was the consignee for several shipments of squid from the Chinese seafood processor Shandong Haidu, a Chishan Group company, between 2019 and 2023.
Our investigation has uncovered Chishan Group connections to ships engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Fishing vessels owned by the group have been observed fishing in North Korean waters in contravention of UN sanctions and fishing illegally in Indonesian waters. The group also owns at least two refrigerated vessels which have transshipped with dozens of fishing ships tied to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing as well as human rights abuses.
One such vessel is a squid jigger called the Zhen Fa 7, which has transshipped with a Chishan refrigerated vessel at sea. Our investigation found evidence of forced labor and gross negligence, resulting in crew illness and death, on the Zhen Fa 7 between 2020 and 2021.
We have also uncovered evidence that Shandong Haidu received persons transferred from the Xinjiang region of China under a state-imposed labor transfer program since February 2021 and as recently as 2023. The United Nations, human rights organizations and academic experts agree that since 2018, the Chinese government has systematically subjected Xinjiang’s predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities to forced labor across the country via state-sanctioned employment schemes which use coercive methods in worker enrollment. The U.S. has prohibited the importation of goods produced from state-imposed forced labor.
While we recognize that you may not be aware of the problems outlined above, we wish to ask you if Inlet Seafish has any comment or statement to make regarding this email?"
Eino Brand, Managing Director, replied: "We would like to thank you for your email on the 20th of September 2023, wherein you have let us know that your investigation from The Outlaw Ocean Project has resulted in findings of human rights violations at the Chinese company Shandong Haidu of the Chishan Group and the squid fishing vessel Zhen Fa 7.
Inlet Seafish does not tolerate any infringement on human rights in its supply chains and urges everyone to perform their due diligence in their respective supply chains. As Inlet Seafish is passionate to work with its partners to prevent any infringements on human rights, including forced and child labor.
It pains us to hear that forced labor practices as you describe are still happening to this day in countries such as China. We support action groups such as you to hold abusers in the sector accountable. Inlet Seafish SL strongly condemns violations of sanctions, abuse and forced labor.
We have no knowledge of the human rights violations mentioned by The Outlaw Ocean Project. However, we will take extra care to investigate all deliveries within 2019 to now from Asia on any relations with the mentioned companies. Furthermore, increased due diligence on all ESG risks, including forced labor, will be done for all deliveries from China, to assure that no forced labor ever occurs at the suppliers of Inlet Seafish.
I hope to have informed you sufficiently. Should there be any questions, please let me know."
Alejandro Martinez, Marketing and Communications at Inlet Seafish, provided a statement to The Outlaw Ocean Project's publishing partner in Spain, El Pais, saying: "Inlet Seafish does not tolerate any infringement of human rights in its processes and urges all to perform due diligence in their respective supply chains. As Inlet Seafish is committed to working with its partners to prevent any infringement of human rights, including forced labor and child exploitation, we require all suppliers to sign our Ethical Trading Agreement based on the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code.
We are distressed to hear that forced labor practices such as those you describe are still occurring today in countries such as China. We support any action group, such as The Outlaw Ocean Project, to hold abusers in the industry accountable. Inlet Seafish SL strongly condemns abuse and forced labor. We have no knowledge of the human rights violations mentioned by The Outlaw Ocean Project. Nor are we aware of the company Shandong Shuangdu in Shandong, China, or any business relationship with them. However, Shandong Haidu Ocean Product Co. Ltd. is a second-tier supplier in our squid supply chain, for which we have conducted rigorous due diligence:
- Independent third party social compliance audits: 'Sedex Member Ethical Trade Audits' (SMETA) in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, which stated that no evidence of forced labor was found in the aforementioned company. These audit forms and additional information are attached.
- Additional visits and physical checks conducted by our own company, in which we found no evidence of human rights violations.
- Review by the customs office and by us of the vessels mentioned in the catch certificates providing EU IUU [illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing] fishing data to suppliers, which did not result in any findings.
We are disappointed if these measures have not been sufficient to uncover these violations. We have taken action and informed our first-tier supplier to cease all relationships with Shandong Haidu Ocean Product Co. Ltd. We will not do business with companies using raw materials in products destined for Inlet Seafish where there is a possibility of human rights violations. We have thoroughly investigated all deliveries from 2021 to date from Asia for connections with the aforementioned company and are taking steps to inform all customers who have received products from this factory.
In addition, due diligence and risk assessments of increased rigor will be conducted on all ESG risks, including forced labor, on all deliveries to ensure that Inlet Seafish's supply chain is free of forced labor beyond reasonable doubt.
Inlet Seafish SL does not tolerate any violation of human rights or any attempt to cover up such violations. That is why we support European legislation banning products manufactured with forced labor in the EU market and demanding that all companies act against any violation of human rights, with the backing of powerful institutions such as the European Union. Through our industry association, we will also urge the European Union to create and publish a list of fishing vessels associated with these alleged human rights violations, so that all importers of fish products will conduct their due diligence accordingly."