Nov 7, 2024 5 min read

#18 Fishy Waters Briefing: Indian shrimp in trouble in the USA, India's first ever Fisherwomen Assembly kicks off and more

Welcome back after a long time. The newsletter has been going through a number of transitions, and it took a while to settle into a format that is sustainable and makes sense. Henceforth, Fishy Waters will be providing you a news-focused update about all that has been brewing in the murky waters of the Global South, with a particular focus on South Asia. We will cover big news of the month from the world of fisher well-being, fisheries, ports, shipping and trade, supply chain and logistics of the sea, deep sea mining and climate change issues impacting marine ecosystems. Not all themes will find their way in one issue, it will be staggered over the month. Happy reading! 😊

Is 'Best Aquaculture Practice' certification a SCAM?

Global Seafood Alliance, a formidable US-based non-profit dedicated to advancing responsible seafood practices has faced a formal complaint filed under the US Federal Trade Commission over deceptive marketing of Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP) certification for Indian Shrimp. The complaint has been filed by Corporate Accountability Lab, a Chicago-based legal clinic that fights against corporate abuse and Southern Shrimp Alliance, an American organisation of shrimp fishermen, shrimp processors, and other members of the domestic industry in the eight warmwater shrimp producing states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.

The USA is one of the biggest consumers of shrimp in the world, and at least 40 percent of it comes from India. Therefore, this is a big deal.

About nine months ago, on 22nd March, Associated Press (AP), The Outlaw Ocean and Corporate Accountability Lab (CAL) released reports of horrific abuse and unsanitary working and living conditions at several facilities of shrimp processing plants in parts of southern India, particularly Andhra Pradesh. The report, a result of three-year long investigation primarily led by CAL, documented accounts of gender-based violence and discrimination, excessively long working hours, abusive and dangerous working conditions, debt bondage, restriction of movement, underpayment of wages, harmful groundwater contamination and much more. A number of these facilities, according to this press release, are BAP certified. This means, that in the eyes of Global Seafood Alliance, and therefore all the American consumer-focused buyers associated with it, these facilities pass the test of ethical work and environmentally friendly conditions.

Once the CAL/AP/Outlaw Ocean reports was out, there was a flurry in the seafood market. A number of American buyers of Indian Shrimp such as Sysco, Great American Seafood, Rich Products, Walmart, Eastern Fish Company issued statements clarifying that they have dissociated with the Indian seafood brands. The Seafood Association of India released a formal response, calling the report 'flawed journalism', and '...leaves readers with a willfully distorted view of Indian shrimp exporters that could cause harm to the very workers AP claims to be concerned with, setting back economic development in the region by years.' The U.S. Department of Labor added shrimp from India to the 2024 List of Goods Produced with Forced Labor (TVPRA List), officially notifying all US buyers sourcing shrimp from India to exercise additional due diligence to combat forced labor.

However, since the reports have been published, not much has shifted in the Indian shrimp processing facilities.

And now, nine months later, the Global Seafood Alliance, the decider of 'best aquaculture practices' is facing a litigation.

First India Fisherwomen Assembly held in Trivandrum, Kerala

As a run up to the 8^th General Assembly of World Forum of Fisher Peoples, the first ever India Fisherwomen Assembly was held over two days on 5^th and 6^th November, where hundreds of women gathered to discuss the severe problems fisherwomen of the coast and inland regions are facing today. Women fishers have, long been at the forefront of fights for equal rights in fisheries, public transport, and workplace dignity, while leading movements against land acquisition, aquaculture, and environmental destruction.

The conference was organised by two Kerala based unions - Theeradesha Mahila Vedi and the Kerala Swatantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF) at the Fr Thomas Kochery Centre at Valiyathura, Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum). They deliberated on the repercussions of ‘unscientific constructions along the coastline,’ loss of access to the sea, loss of livelihood, climate change impacts, coastal erosion, the impacts of blue economy of small fishers, among many other topics. A rally was organised where a number of families from Muthalapozhi partcipated. Over the last few years, Muthalapozhi has become infamous for being one of the deadliest harbours in the country. The harbour is located in Vizhinjam, where the Adani port has been under construction since 2015. The harbour is also the location where a breakwater and a barge for the port has been constructed. In the last five years alone, at least 70 fishers have lost their lives. They claim that the construction of the breakwater has wreaked havoc in the waves crashing into the harbour, leading the fishers to lose control of the boats.

Four fish-worker women from India will participate and present the outcome of the deliberations of the conference at the 8^th General Assembly of World Forum of Fisher Peoples.

Fishing ban commences in Odisha to make way for Olive Ridleys

The Odisha government has imposed the annual seven-month fishing ban to allow olive ridley turtles to nest on the shoreline. The ban is in line with the Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1982, and is effective from 1^st November till the 31^st May, a time when olive ridleys, a Schedule 1 species of turtles are expected to arrive, mate, nest and hatch eggs on the shoreline.

All fishing activity within 20 km off the coast at the river mouths of Dhamara, Devi and Rushikulya and near Gahirmatha marine sanctuary is banned for these months. This covers almost four out of seven coastal districts of Odisha – Kendrapara, Ganjam, Puri and Jagatsinghpur.

Over 10,000 fishers are affected by this ban. The state government offers a paltry sum total of Rs 7,500 per fishing family for seven months. With a declining fish catch, rising frequency of localised storms, there are fewer fishing days in a year for the fishers of Odisha. A state ban must compensated with an appropriate amount of monetary security.

Fishing industry one of the most dangerous in the world

A report by Lloyd’s Register Foundation on occupational health and safety states fishing has the highest level of workplace harm of any single industry, with one in four fishers (26%) experiencing harm at work in the past two years. The report, titled World Risk Poll 2024 lists down, by sector and by region, workplace harm reporting along with occupational safety and health training, focusing on labour-intensive industries such as construction, agriculture, fishing etc. Expectedly, low-income countries in regions of south and south-east Asia and Africa feature high in underreporting harm and lack of safety training.

Lloyd’s Register Foundation is a UK based charity dedicated to research and education in science and engineering. It owns the Lloyd’s Register, which is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society formed in 1760. This is the third report they have published since 2019.

The report says, ‘fishers are regularly exposed to hazards and risks, often working long hours in harsh conditions at all hours of the day. They spend many hours in the sun, exposing themselves to cancers and eye disorders, and are at risk of injuries and musculoskeletal disorders as a result of dangerous equipment and conditions, in addition to the threat of drowning. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that 80 fishers die every day, with hundreds more being injured. In smaller-scale enterprises, many fishers lack established, formalised work arrangements, meaning that when an injury occurs, they lack the requisite support structures needed to cope and recover.’

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 188 establishes a set of standards for best practice for fish-workers. It commits to ensuring decent work in fishing, including requirements around conditions of service, accommodation and food, and medical care. Only 22 countries have ratified so far. India is NOT one of them.