Southern Shrimp Alliance Asks ILAB to Investigate Forced Labor in Shrimp Feed Supply Chains
Today, the Southern Shrimp Alliance submitted comments to the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) of the U.S. Department of Labor requesting that the agency further investigate the supply chains for fishmeal and fish oil production in China, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Southern Shrimp Alliance’s filing responded to a Federal Register Notice published by ILAB in October 2022 that requested […]
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Seafood Groups Weigh in On USTR’s Forced Labor Strategy
In July, a Federal Register Notice was published by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) inviting comments from the public regarding the USTR’s efforts to coordinate the federal government’s development of a focused trade strategy to combat forced labor in foreign supply chains. Comments were due on Friday, August 5th and the USTR heard from a number of […]
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Southern Shrimp Alliance Applauds Legislation to Advance Human Rights, Marine Conservation and Fair Trade in Seafood Supply Chain
Global efforts to advance fishery conservation and to combat IUU fishing and the use of forced and child labor in the seafood supply chain took a major step forward yesterday when the House Committee on Natural Resources passed by a voice-vote, HR 3075: the Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Prevention Act. The bipartisan bill was introduced on May 11, 2021, by […]
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Legislation with Strong Measures Addressing Forced Labor in Seafood Supply Chains Passes Senate
Last night, by a 68 to 32 vote, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (S. 1260) was passed in the Senate. The bipartisan bill, previously known as the Endless Frontier Act, includes a section titled “Trading Consistent with American Values” that improves and increases the federal government’s capacity to prevent the importation of foreign goods produced through forced and child […]
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Southern Shrimp Alliance Applauds Introduction of the Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Prevention Act
This afternoon, Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Representative Garret Graves (R-LA) introduced the Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Prevention Act, legislation that would strengthen the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), recognize that forced labor constitutes an illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practice, and require traceability of imported seafood equivalent to […]
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Southern Shrimp Alliance Opposes Recommendations of COAC’s Forced Labor Working Group
Earlier today, the Southern Shrimp Alliance issued a letter to the Forced Labor Division of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Trade Remedy Law Enforcement Directorate (TRLED) expressing support for the agency’s intention to make forced labor a priority trade issue, joining agriculture/quota enforcement; antidumping and countervailing duties; free trade agreements; import safety; intellectual property rights; revenue; and textiles and […]
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ITC Report Details Significant Impact of IUU Fishing on U.S. Shrimp Market
Last week, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) released an exhaustive report of the agency’s findings following an investigation of Seafood Obtained via Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing: U.S. Imports and Economic Impact on U.S. Commercial Fisheries requested by the Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. In its report, the ITC found that seafood harvested through […]
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Task Force Report on Human Trafficking in Seafood Supply Chains Emphasizes Need to Leverage Access to the U.S. Market to Reduce Forced Labor
Last month, the Task Force on Human Trafficking in Fishing in International Waters released its report addressing labor that may have been subject to human trafficking to harvest fish in international waters. The Task Force’s report was mandated by a Senate Report accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-141) that directed the U.S. Department of Justice to lead a […]
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U.S. Department of Labor Letter to the Southern Shrimp Alliance Emphasizes Continued Focus on Slavery in Seafood Supply Chains
In a letter to the Southern Shrimp Alliance dated January 25, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT) explained that in evaluating information regarding forced labor in distant water fishing fleets, “OFCT took into account the information provided” by the Southern Shrimp Alliance in a January 13, 2020 submission. Based on OCFT’s […]
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Department of Labor Includes Seafood Harvested from Distant-Water Fishing Fleets in List of Goods Produced by Forced Labor
Pursuant to the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (“TVPRA”), each year, the Bureau of International Labor Affairs of the U.S. Department of Labor (“ILAB”) researches and identifies goods produced through forced and/or child labor. The biennial lists published by ILAB provide notice to U.S. importers, distributors, retailers, and consumers as to where risks of slave and child labor exist in particular […]