Tradoubles | Suppliers at the best prices for Shrimp, Prawns, Langostino, Squid, Cuttle Fish, Octopus, Lobster, Crab, Ribbon Fish, King Fish, Surimi, Croaker, Pomfret

Do not index

"Corporate Accountability Lab (CAL) Releases Report Exposing Labor Exploitation and Environmental Harm in India's Shrimp Industry"

A newly published report by the Corporate Accountability Lab (CAL) unveils troubling findings regarding forced labor, child labor, abusive working conditions, and environmental degradation within India's lucrative shrimp farming sector. CAL claims that their extensive field investigations and interviews provide crucial documentation of these widespread issues, even within shrimp products certified by industry standards such as Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification programs.

The report highlights the significant role of India's shrimp aquaculture industry in the US market, supplying major retailers like Costco, Kroger, and Walmart, as well as popular restaurants such as Red Lobster, which source shrimp from Sysco and US Foods. With India being the largest supplier of shrimp to the US, accounting for 40.8 percent of all shrimp imports in 2023, CAL emphasizes the importance of addressing the reported human rights and environmental abuses.

CAL's press release underscores the severity of the findings, particularly considering shrimp's status as the most consumed seafood in the United States. Despite previous documentation of abuses in global shrimp aquaculture, India's significant market share has largely escaped scrutiny, with Indian shrimp often perceived as a "low-risk" source, according to CAL.

The report cites numerous examples of labor exploitation, including debt bondage, verbal abuse, sexual harassment, and hazardous child labor. It also highlights the complex and opaque supply chains in the industry, making it difficult to trace the origin of Indian shrimp products and perpetuating labor and environmental abuses.

Furthermore, CAL's study emphasizes the detrimental impact of shrimp farming on the local environment, including pollution of wastewater, contamination of drinking water, and destruction of mangroves, which play a crucial role in carbon sequestration.

CAL condemns the lack of oversight and regulation from both Indian and US governments, which allows human rights and environmental abuses to persist in the shrimp farming sector. The organization also criticizes "fair-washing" and "green-washing" certification schemes that may contribute to the problem.