Correspondence
Email sent to Martin Fortier, Administration and Purchasing Manager at Pecheries Oceanic Fisheries.
The email said: "I’m contacting you in light of our latest investigation which concerns the use of forced labor in China’s food processing industry, and a link we’ve discovered between a company engaged in such practices and your supply chain. Your supplier Yantai Sanko Fisheries Co. Ltd. has received persons from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China under the state-imposed labor transfer program as recently as 2022.
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.
Does Pecheries Oceanic Fisheries Inc. have any comment or statement to make in light of the above information? Please respond to this email by close of business May 25, 2023."
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed: "I emailed you last month regarding your supplier Yantai Sanko Fisheries. I am contacting you again regarding additional findings in our ongoing investigation into the use of forced labor in China’s seafood processing industry.
We have uncovered evidence that a second supplier to Pecheries Oceanic, Rongcheng Haibo, has received persons from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China under the state-imposed labor transfer program. The U.S. has prohibited the importation of goods produced from state-imposed forced labor.
Does Pecheries Oceanic have any comment to make in response to this or my earlier email? If so, please respond to this email by close of business June 23, 2023."
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed two contact addresses at Pecheries Oceanic Fisheries, saying: "We emailed you in May and June regarding our investigation into the use of forced labor in China’s food processing industry, and links we discovered between companies engaged in such practices and suppliers in your supply chain. We’re reaching out to you again now to share further findings of our research.
Trade records viewed by The Outlaw Ocean Project show that Pecheries Oceanic Fisheries was the consignee for several shipments of seafood from Shandong Haidu Ocean Product Co. Ltd. since 2021. Shandong Haidu is a Chishan Group company. A company we previously contacted you about, Rongcheng Haibo, is also a Chishan Group company. Our investigation found that 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. One such vessel is the Zhen Fa 7 (owned by Rongcheng Wangdao Dayang). Our research demonstrates forced labor and gross negligence – resulting in crew illness and death – on the Zhen Fa 7 between 2020 and 2021. Our research has also uncovered evidence that Shandong Haidu has received persons from the Xinjiang region of China under the state-imposed labor transfer program referred to us in our emails (dated May 23 and June 21), since 2021 and as recently as May 2023.
According to trade records Pecheries Oceanic Fisheries has also imported squid from Rongcheng Guangrun Aquatic Food, a company based in China and owned by the Shandong Bodelong Group. Bodelong Group squid vessels have committed numerous illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing offenses, including disabling transmitters and discarding thousands of kilos of squid into the sea, and have disembarked at least two dead deckhands in the Port of Montevideo, in 2016 and 2019. One vessel also disembarked an ill deckhand in Montevideo in 2020 who had symptoms of beriberi, a sign of severe neglect. While we recognize that you may not be aware of the above problems, we wanted to ask you if Pecheries Oceanic Fisheries has any comment or statement in response to the above information, or to our previous emails.
Can you also confirm if Yantai Sanko Fisheries is still a supplier to Pecheries Oceanic Fisheries?"