With concerns about human rights violations within the seafood sector continually rising, The Responsible Recruitment Tuna study launched at the Barcelona Seafood Expo marks a significant step by key members across the seafood industry in tackling challenges within the sector, and highlights the value of collective action.
A study into the implementation of responsible recruitment practices and the Employer Pays Principle (EPP) in the global tuna processing sector was co-launched at an event hosted by the Seafood Ethics Action Alliance (SEA Alliance). The comprehensive document and its recommendations aim to identify ways to encourage responsible recruitment practices in the tuna shore-based processing sector, to provide mechanisms for improving labour standards for migrant workers.
At the launch event, chaired by group ethics and social sustainability senior manager at Hilton Foods and chair of the SEA Alliance Julia Black, and head of SEA Alliance Georgia Worrall outlined how the group of 39 leading UK retailers and seafood businesses – along with a consortium of seafood groups: the British Retail Consortium, Food Network for Ethical Trade, Global Tuna Alliance, and the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship, sought to respond to industry concerns by commissioning the independent study, carried out by Impactt.
‘SEA Alliance members are actively seeking a deeper understanding of the issues arising in recruitment in the tuna sector and practical actions that can be taken towards resolving them,’ Georgia Worrall said.
‘The study highlights the urgent need for coordinated action between industry associations, governments, and the private sector to eliminate recruitment issues and increase fair treatment of all workers. The SEA Alliance is committed to supporting seafood businesses in aligning with the study’s recommendations and will be sharing the findings across our membership and the seafood sector.’
Case studies highlighting the value to the supply chain were also presented by Rachel Munns, Head of Sustainable Sourcing at World Wise Foods and Daniel Suddaby, Executive Director of the Global Tuna Alliance.
‘The Global Tuna Alliance warmly welcomes this important study and will be promoting its recommendations to strengthen responsible recruitment in the tuna sector. We see this as a valuable contribution to ongoing efforts to ensure fishers’ rights by sourcing from socially responsible States and promoting the implementation and verification of best practice social standards throughout the supply chain,’ said Global Tuna Alliance executive director Daniel Suddaby.
‘As we roll out our 2025–2030 strategy, we remain committed to supporting improvements in labour practices and decent working conditions in the catching sector and beyond — and to ensuring the spirit of this study is reflected in our collective action.’
Study authors David Rousseau and Priyanka Kanani, principal consultants at Impactt, outlined how the findings highlight both the challenges in establishing enforceable labour standards for migrant workers in tuna processing around the world and explore how the seafood industry is working to improve labour conditions and tackle human rights violations.
With a focus on five countries – Maldives, Mauritius, the Philippines, Seychelles and Thailand, the study centres on migrant labour used in tuna processing – building a picture of practices in each country by reviewing regulatory frameworks and conducting interviews and surveys. It incorporates inputs from external stakeholders as well as industry members and offers tailored recommendations to buyers, suppliers, and industry associations seeking to ensure that responsible recruitment is implemented throughout supply chains.
Key findings from the study are that there is a lack of sufficient commercial or regulatory pressure or incentives for actors to commit suitable resources for full implementation, as well as challenges for industry associations to establish enforceable standards or commitments around responsible recruitment.
In addition, complexities in seafood supply chains increase the risks, as well as hindering buyers from achieving sufficient oversight and leverage to encourage suppliers to adopt responsible recruitment practices, while there are challenges in understanding the ‘true’ cost of recruitment, which is critical to ensuring that responsible recruitment is embedded as a cost of doing business.
