{"id":75953,"date":"2025-11-13T17:34:49","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T17:34:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/?p=75953"},"modified":"2025-11-13T17:55:01","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T17:55:01","slug":"landmark-u-s-ruling-allows-indonesians-to-proceed-with-lawsuit-against-bumble-bee-for-forced-labor-on-fishing-boats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/landmark-u-s-ruling-allows-indonesians-to-proceed-with-lawsuit-against-bumble-bee-for-forced-labor-on-fishing-boats\/","title":{"rendered":"Landmark U.S. ruling allows Indonesians to proceed with lawsuit against Bumble Bee for forced labor on fishing boats"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Indonesian
Indonesian fishers who sued Bumble Bee, alleging years of forced labor while catching fish sold by the US tuna brand, responded to the company\u2019s motion to dismiss their suit, arguing in the U.S. legal filing on July 31 that they have a right to have their allegations heard in court. This image was taken by Greenpeace USA activists in solidarity with these fishers.
\u00a9 Sandy Huffaker \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA (November 13, 2025)<\/strong> \u2014 The case of a group of Indonesian fishers who sued U.S. tuna brand Bumble Bee, alleging forced labor, will move forward, according to a judgment released by the Southern California federal district court yesterday. Their case, which cites years of research from the Greenpeace global network, alleges years of forced labor while catching fish sold by the company.<\/p>\n\n

Syafi\u2019i, a plaintiff in the case, said:<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m actually in tears. I am happy and overwhelmed. This gives me hope for justice for me and my fellow plaintiffs as we struggle for justice and change for the better. Our fight and sacrifice are not in vain in order to get justice for all of the fishers. I remain steadfast, strong, and enthusiastic.”<\/p>\n\n

The four fishers filed suit<\/a> against Bumble Bee in March 2025 under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). Investigations and supply chain research from the Greenpeace global network\u2019s Beyond Seafood fisheries campaigns were used by the litigants\u2019 attorneys to support this complaint. It is believed to be the first case of its kind against the seafood industry in the U.S., and one of only a few TVPRA supply chain cases to move past the motion to dismiss stage. <\/p>\n\n

Sari Heidenreich, Senior Human Rights Advisor, Greenpeace USA, said: <\/strong>\u201cThis is a historic moment and an incredible victory for the fishers and the ocean. By allowing this case to move ahead, the court has given these fishers\u2019 voices the space they deserve. We celebrate that the fishers will be allowed their day in court, recognizing this is monumental \u2014  not only for these four men, who are brave enough to stand up to a giant U.S. corporation \u2014  but for hundreds of thousands of fishers globally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The court ruled that the fishers presented sufficient allegations of forced labor<\/a> as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, noting that Bumble Bee did not contest the fishers were subject to forced labor. The court also found that Bumble Bee \u201clikely had \u2018notice about the prevalence\u2019 of forced labor on the vessels from which it sourced tuna, \u2018failed to take adequate steps to train staff in order to prevent its occurrence,\u2019\u201d had an \u201cactive role in obtaining albacore tuna from the vessels on which Plaintiffs were subject to forced labor,\u201d and resold the tuna for profit. <\/p>\n\n

Heidenreich continued: <\/strong>\u201cThis ruling once again affirms that U.S. companies have a responsibility to ensure the products they sell \u2014 including tuna that they market for you to pack for lunch \u2014 were not produced with the abhorrent crimes of forced labor and modern slavery. Allegations as horrific as those in the suit should never happen to these fishers or anyone else.  Seafood companies cannot continue to put profits over all else; they cannot continue this rabid exploitation of workers, the oceans, and marine life. They must act now to address the root causes of modern slavery and end isolation at sea. The global Greenpeace network’s Beyond Seafood Campaign has been working for over a decade to hold Big Seafood to account. It is an affirmation of the importance of this work that the campaign\u2019s reports documenting these abuses were cited by the judge in her ruling.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

The judge\u2019s ruling also cited numerous reports from Greenpeace East Asia and Greenpeace Southeast Asia as evidence that the company knew or should have known about forced labor on its supplying vessels. [1] <\/p>\n\n

Arifsyah Nasution, Global Project Lead for Beyond Seafood Campaign, Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said:<\/strong> \u201cWith this ruling, all of Big Seafood is officially on notice: exploitation at sea could land you in court at home. It is well known that physical violence, excessive working hours, and lack of payment \u2014 all conditions alleged in this lawsuit \u2014 are prevalent in the fishing industry and exacerbated by the overexploitation of our oceans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The Greenpeace global network\u2019s Beyond Seafood Campaign has called for concerted action by all stakeholders and governments along the seafood supply chain to end isolation at sea. <\/strong>This includes:<\/p>\n\n